Ruud claims first win over Medvedev, reaches Madrid SFs

Casper Ruud extended his perfect streak in ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finals on clay to 7-0 on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he fought past an attack-minded Daniil Medvedev.

The Norwegian rebuffed Medvedev’s assertive approach with a confident display of his own to prevail 6-3, 7-5 and reach the semi-finals. Medvedev fired 23 winners and advanced to the net on 23 occasions, but Ruud remained resolute to seal a one-hour and 39-minute victory.

“I looked at our stats last night and saw he beat me on grass, outdoor hard and indoor hard. The last surface was clay so I thought ‘Please don’t make it 4-0’,” said Ruud. “I tried to use the surface to my advantage. I thought the level was pretty good from both players, I was impressed with Daniil’s ability to produce power here on clay.

”Today it felt like he was decisive and firing from the forehand, he hit some great winners. He didn’t bring what I expected.”

Flying the flag into the final four 🇳🇴@CasperRuud98 edges Medvedev 6-3 7-5 to book a second Madrid semi-final spot@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOpen pic.twitter.com/WVqRS7qXn9

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 1, 2025

While Medvedev led 3-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Ruud, Thursday’s quarter-final clash marked their first since 2021, and first on clay. Medvedev shifted to a more aggressive approach, aiming to combat Ruud’s heavy topspin groundstrokes by taking them on the rise or even out of the air.

Yet Ruud remained patient, crucially saving each of the two break points he faced in the first set, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and converting the only one he carved out at 5-5 in the second to advance. The 26-year-old is the first player born in 1990 or later to reach 30 tour-level semi-finals on clay.

Ruud was unable to defend his title at the ATP 500 in Barcelona two weeks ago and subsequently dropped out of the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since last February. But with his run to a ninth Masters 1000 semi-final, Ruud is up three spots to No. 12 in the Live Rankings and will return to the Top 10 if he reaches the final in Madrid.

“I came here after a tough defeat in Barcelona… I worked a little bit with myself and especially the mental aspect,” Ruud added. “I think I am coming into the tournaments with a better version of myself. I’ve been playing with good intensity [in Madrid] and I would like to keep it going. There has been a fire missing lately, so I am happy to bring it here in Madrid.”

He will next continue his quest for a maiden Masters 1000 trophy against the winner of Thursday afternoon’s quarter-final between 20th seed Francisco Cerundolo and 19-year-old Jakub Mensik.