Two-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud beat Ben Shelton in straight units to ebook his place within the spherical of 16 of the Barcelona Open, an ATP500 occasion, on Tuesday.
Ruud, who reached the 2022 French Open and US Open finals, received 6-2, 7-6(1) in an hour and 39 minutes to avenge his loss to the rising left-handed American on the identical stage in final yr’s Cincinnati Masters which was their first-ever assembly.
World No.3 Ruud, who acquired a bye within the first spherical, dominated Australian Open quarterfinalist Shelton within the opening set as he broke his serve within the third and fifth recreation.
However, the twenty-year-old Shelton, who made his crimson clay debut in Estoril two weeks in the past, fought again to interrupt Ruud when the Norwegian was serving for the match at 5-4 within the second set. But Ruud stopped the teenager from taking the match to a 3rd set as he breezed by way of the tiebreaker.
Third-seeded Ruud, chasing his tenth title on clay and eleventh total, will subsequent face both Italy’s Francesco Passaro or Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo. Passaro defeated 2010 champion Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 6-1 on his match debut whereas Cerundolo acquired a first-round bye.
In different outcomes, Cerundolo’s compatriot Diego Schwartzman received 6-2, 6-2 in opposition to China’s Yibing Wu, Russia’s Alexander Shevchenko beat Italian qualifier Lorenzo Giustino 6-2, 6-2 whereas Matteo Arnaldi, one other Italian qualifier, prevailed 6-3, 6-4 in opposition to native participant Jaume Munar to ebook their locations within the second spherical.
Later within the day, World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz will start his title defence when he faces Portugal’s Nuno Borges within the second spherical. USA’s Frances Tiafoe can even be in motion in opposition to Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com