Ruud rolls, Tsitsipas advances to Los Cabos semi-finals

Casper Ruud is making the most of his debut in Los Cabos.

The former No. 2 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings has lost just six games to reach the semi-finals. The fourth seed defeated Nuno Borges 6-3, 6-2 Thursday after losing only one game Wednesday against Marcos Giron.

“Yesterday and today it’s been feeling really good, so I’m happy to be through to the semi-finals,” Ruud said. “I feel very good here in Los Cabos. I’m here for the first time, so I’m really enjoying my time and enjoying every day I can have here.”

Casper 🤝 Cabo

The Norwegian reaches a 31st tour-level semi-final after moving past Borges 6-3 6-2.@CaboTennisOpen | #LosCabosTennisOpen pic.twitter.com/NPMbypQSz5

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 22, 2024

Ruud saved the two break points he faced and converted all three of his opportunities against Borges according to Infosys ATP Stats. The Norwegian took a 1-0 lead in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against the Portuguese, who last month advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Ruud will next play second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who ousted Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6(1), 6-3. He has split two previous meetings with Tsitsipas.

The Greek star dominated behind his first serve, winning 87 per cent of those points, which made the difference in the match. Kovacevic surged to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, but was unable to maintain his level throughout the encounter as the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion worked his way into the match.

Tsitsipas is trying to gain momentum this week after losing in the first round of the Australian Open. He is the defending champion in Los Cabos.

#NextGenATP American Alex Michelsen looked primed for a spot in the last four himself when he won the first nine games of his match, but the 19-year-old was unable to close out Australian Jordan Thompson.

The No. 40 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings rallied from three match points down for a stunning 0-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 victory over Michelsen, who served for the match in the deciding set.

The 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals competitor Michelsen showed his own competitive spirit when he took the lead in the third set despite letting slip his match points in the second set. But Thompson never stopped fighting back.

“That’s probably one of the best comebacks I’ve ever had in my life, and [it was] in a quarter-final of a Tour event," Thompson said. "I was saying to myself that I literally haven’t been in front until I hit the front at 6-5 in the third set. So a long time being behind. I don’t think anyone would challenge my competitiveness.”

The Australian will face a tough test against top seed Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. The German won the final match of the evening against Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3, 6-4. 

The scoreline might look routine, but the match was not. Zverev saved all 12 break points he faced to move on in straight sets.