Ruud Beats Coria For Bastad Crown

Top seed Casper Ruud ended his dominant week in Bastad by overcoming Federico Coria 6-3, 6-3 in the Nordea Open final on Sunday to capture his third ATP Tour title.

Ruud hugged the baseline throughout the match, dictating play on his forehand as he secured victory in one hour and 28 minutes. It is the second title he has claimed this year, having captured the Gonet Geneva Open title (d. Shapovalov) in May. He is now 3-2 in ATP Tour finals, having also won the Buenos Aires trophy on clay (d. P. Sousa) last year.

“It was an incredible week, maybe the best week of my life,” Ruud said. “It is an incredible feeling playing here in Bastad with the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish support. There is nothing like that home crowd feeling.

“To win here means a lot. You get a little extra nervous as the No. 1 seed. Me and my father [former World No. 39 Christian Ruud] have been joking about when I am going to beat him at this and this, and now I think I have beaten him in everything! The Ruud family can finally bring the trophy home to Norway. It is a special feeling having him here with me.”

With the 250 FedEx ATP Ranking points Ruud earned this week, he has risen to 10th place in the ATP Race To Turin. The 22-year-old now has 1,770 points, just 15 behind ninth-placed Russian Aslan Karatsev.

The Norwegian did not drop a set all week in Sweden and started well in the final, hitting with heavy topspin and great depth as he forced Coria behind the baseline. Ruud dominated with his powerful forehand and maintained consistency on the backhand in the first set to move ahead.

Ruud continued to apply pressure on Coria in the second set. He returned well, winning 50 per cent of points on Coria’s first serve as he broke in the fifth game to lead 3-2. The 22-year-old continued to cover every inch of the court and claimed victory when he fired a forehand winner past the World No. 77.

Coria was competing in his first tour-level final on Sunday. The Argentine’s previous best result was a run to the semi-finals at the Cordoba Open (l. to Cerundolo) in February.