BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Casper Ruud took his revenge against Stefanos Tsitsipas by winning the Barcelona Open final in straight sets on Sunday for his biggest career title, a week after losing to the Greek in the Monte Carlo Masters final.
Ruud won 7-5, 6-3 for his first title of the season after losing the three other finals he played this year.
“Honestly, this has been worth the wait,” Ruud said after the triumph in Barcelona. “A lot of finals that I’ve lost have been tough, a bit disappointing, of course. Any time you reach a final, it’s nonetheless a good week, so you can’t be too hard on yourself, but this one has been a long time coming.”
Seventh-ranked Tsitsipas had comfortably won in straight sets in Monte Carlo but this time Ruud prevailed, converting three of the six break points he earned.