Casper Ruud secured his first Masters 1000 title at the Madrid Open on Sunday, defeating Jack Draper in a hard-fought final that lasted two and a half hours with a score of 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. The Norwegian, who had previously been a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, finally claimed victory in his seventh major final at the Manolo Santana stadium.
Draper, who will rise to fifth in the world rankings above Novak Djokovic on Monday, was unable to add to his Indian Wells triumph from March.
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“This was my seventh big final if you count them all, so seven is a lucky number, I guess. So it was worth the wait in the end. I’ve never really been too close in any of the finals when I look back — I’ve lost the majority of them in straight sets,” Ruud said.
The victory marked a significant milestone for Ruud, who had previously struggled in major finals, including a loss to Djokovic in the 2022 ATP Finals.
“It is a mix somewhat of a relief and happiness and just pure joy. I know, based on the last years that I’ve had on tour, how tough it is to do well at the biggest tournaments, and I’ve never been able to get over the finish line as a champion, but today I was able to,” Ruud explained.
Draper, seeking his first clay court title, acknowledged Ruud’s superior performance in crucial moments.
“Congratulations to Casper on this win, you really deserve it — you were braver than me in the key moments. This sport is brutal but I will keep trying, I think this loss will make me better,” Draper said.
The match began with Draper taking an early lead, breaking Ruud’s serve for a 2-1 advantage in the first set. However, Ruud fought back to level the set at 5-5 before claiming it as Draper mishit a forehand.
Draper dominated the second set, making just one unforced error and successfully breaking Ruud twice to force a deciding set.
The final set saw intense competition, with Ruud breaking in the fifth game and consolidating for a 4-2 lead. Despite Draper’s resistance and a late surge, Ruud secured the victory on his first match point.
The 26-year-old Ruud, ranked 15th, added this Masters 1000 title to his collection of 12 ATP titles at 250 and 500 level.
Draper remained optimistic about his future prospects despite the loss.
“I honestly feel like I’m at the start of my journey. I’m going to keep on improving and keep on pushing hard and keep these sort of tough moments in my head to keep on driving myself to be better,” he said.
