Casper Ruud became the first Norwegian to triumph at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm on Sunday, when he brushed aside Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-3 in the title match.
The second seed was dominant throughout the 68-minute final. He played with great intensity to rush Humbert and was impressive on serve. Ruud dropped just three points on serve in the match and struck 22 winners to 12 unforced errors, improving to 3-3 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
"I would like to congratulate Ugo for his week and sorry about today. I think I played the best match of the year against you, so I am sorry. I am really happy but sorry Ugo," Ruud said. "I know that against you, if I don't play well, you will destroy me. So I knew I had to wake up and play well.
"I am really happy to win here in Stockholm and it is a little bit of a childhood dream as it is close to Norway and all the legends have played here in the past. Federer, Nadal, Borg, McEnroe, you name it. So it is an honour to get a title here."
Ruud is now a 14-time tour-level champion, with his triumph in Stockholm his second this year. In April, the 26-year-old won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Madrid.
Ruud has earned more indoor wins (11) in 2025 than any other player on Tour, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, with his latest run of victories in Sweden helping him in his quest to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.
Ruud is 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 745 points behind eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti, who occupies the final qualification spot. Ruud, a finalist in Turin in 2022, is aiming to make his fourth appearance at the prestigious year-end event, to be held from 9-16 November.
Humbert was chasing his seventh ATP Tour trophy. The Frenchman, who advanced to the final after Holger Rune retired due to an Achilles injury, is up one spot to No. 24 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.