Cerundolo's comeback stuns Ruud in Gstaad quarter-final

Gstaad, July 18 (IANS) Juan Manuel Cerundolo pulled off the biggest win of his career on Friday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad, defeating top seed and two-time champion Casper Ruud in a dramatic 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 quarter-final clash.

The Argentine, ranked No. 109 in the PIF ATP Rankings, mounted a stunning six-game streak from 0-3 down in the final set to overcome World No. 13 Ruud and reach the semi-finals of the ATP 250 event.

After a dominant start, Cerundolo lost control in the second set and early in the decider, but managed to turn the match around with increased aggression and confidence.

“It was pretty tough. He was being much more aggressive than me and he was leading me easily then. I think I stuck there mentally, didn’t let the match go and I came out at 0-3 with the wind in my favour. With the help of the wind and maybe some mistakes from him, it was 1-3.

“Then suddenly it was 2-3, and when I was only one break down, I started to feel confident again and battled again more. I was more confident, more aggressive, and started hitting harder. I think that was the key to my comeback in the final set,” said Cerundolo in his on-court interview.

Cerundolo converted six of nine break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, ending Ruud’s perfect 10-0 record in Gstaad. This marks Cerundolo’s first Top 20 win and ensures his return to the Top 100 for the first time since October 2023. As of Friday, he is up 20 places to No. 89 in the live rankings, as per ATP.

In Saturday’s semi-finals, Cerundolo will face fellow South American Ignacio Buse. The Peruvian qualifier continued his impressive run, beating Roman Andres Burruchaga 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the final four in just his second ATP Tour main draw appearance.

Meanwhile, second seed Alexander Bublik advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Francisco Comesana, marking a personal milestone of 10 clay-court victories in a season. Bublik will face either Arthur Cazaux or Swiss wild card Jerome Kym for a place in the final.

--IANS

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