Ruud puts Jódar in a pickle

Casper Ruud has ended the run of Rafa Jódar in the ATP Paris after delivering an authentic match and eliminating him with a score of 6-3 6-4 after 1 hour and 18 minutes of play. This significantly complicates the Spanish tennis player’s qualification for the ATP Finals, as he relies on the performance of other players like Alex de Miñaur or Novak Djokovic.

Jódar did not show the same level he had achieved against Alejandro Tabilo in his debut, while Ruud played exceptional tennis to get revenge for the loss suffered at the ATP Shanghai a few weeks ago. Although Rafa is still virtually qualified, a victory by De Miñaur would put him into the ATP Finals, pending what Djokovic does, who could also overtake him. Nevertheless, the physical condition of other players like Flavio Cobolli remains uncertain, so anything can happen.

Ruud approaches excellence in the first set

The match began with Jódar being too erratic, to the point that Ruud managed an early break and confirmed the break with his serve to take a 3-0 lead despite the Spanish player having a 15-40 advantage. Once Rafa got on the scoreboard, he again had a 0-30 in the next game on return, but once again Casper prevented his rebellion.

In fact, the Norwegian player played at an exceptional level throughout the first set, and came close to achieving another break to make it 6-2. Although Jódar held serve, he could do little on return against Ruud, whose forehand was firing as in his best times and appeared unapproachable, showing great solidity from the baseline and giving Rafa very few options.

Ruud seals Jódar's fate with a late break

The second set began with a completely different dynamic, with Jódar much more engaged from the start and a passing shot that changed the course of the set, as the Spaniard called for support from the crowd, and from there he unleashed his game. His return improved significantly, reminiscent of the player who dismantled Tabilo in the first round, and he achieved a break without losing a point to take the lead.

However, his joy was short-lived, as Casper returned the favor in the following game to level the score. The situation began to be concerning due to Ruud's solid play, and at 4-4 the Norwegian had a 30-40 chance that he capitalized on to serve and close the match. From now on, Jódar's qualification for the ATP Finals no longer depends on himself, although if this is his last match of the season, he cannot tarnish a historic year for him.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Ruud mete en un lío a Jódar