Ruud storms into Geneva semi-finals after dominant win over Popyrin at ATP 250
Hope
Casper Ruud continued his strong form at the Gonet Geneva Open with a commanding straight-sets victory over Alexei Popyrin to book his place in the semi-finals of the ATP 250 event in Switzerland.
The three-time Geneva champion delivered a clinical serving performance on Thursday, defeating Popyrin 6-4, 6-3 in just 72 minutes to extend his remarkable record at the tournament.
The 25-year-old Norwegian was in complete control on serve, dropping only three points behind his first delivery, according to official ATP stats, as he once again showed why Geneva remains one of his most successful venues on the tour.
“It was a good match today, so I’m really happy with the win,” Ruud said after the match. “It’s not easy to play Alexei. I had a tough loss to him last year on clay, so I tried to learn from that. I think I managed well today, especially with the conditions and altitude.”
With this victory, Ruud improved his record in Geneva to 16-1, matching former World No.1 Mats Wilander for the second-most wins in the tournament’s history. He will now face Argentina’s Mariano Navone in the semi-finals as he chases a record-extending fourth Geneva title.
Ruud arrived in Switzerland in strong form after reaching the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome, where he lost to World No.1 Jannik Sinner. He has yet to drop a set in Geneva this week, underlining his dominance on clay.
Earlier in the tournament, Navone secured his place in the last four with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 win over Jaume Munar, marking his 50th tour-level victory.
Elsewhere in the draw, second seed Alexander Bublik is set to face fourth seed Learner Tien in the other semi-final, after both players advanced through tough quarter-final encounters.
Tien earned his first ATP Tour semi-final on clay after defeating fellow American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, while Bublik overcame Arthur Rinderknech 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 to continue his strong run on the surface.
