By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday July 24, 2022
Casper Ruud rallied from a set down to defeat Matteo Berrettini in the Gstaad final.
Photo Source: TTV
Casper Ruud cracked open a tight match like a tin of Norwegian mackerel, taking advantage of a dip in Matteo Berrettini’s game to launch himself to a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 win in the Gstaad final.
Top-seeded Ruud, ranked fifth, claims his ninth ATP title, completing the first successful title defense at the Swiss Open since Sergi Brugera in 1994.
Berrettini had the set lead, and a chance for the break in the second, with two break points at 1-1 and another chance at 4-4, but Ruud saved all three break points he faced in the middle stanza and took the tiebreak.
It seemed to deflate the Italian, who struggled early and often in the decider as Ruud pushed to make the most of his opportunities. After failing to convert three break points in his first return game, the 23-year-old Norwegian broke for 2-1 then added the double-break for 4-1 and held service the rest of the way to complete his victory in two hours and 34 minutes.
Ruud improves to 35-13 on the season, as Berrettini drops to 21-7. The Italian entered the match on a 12-match winning streak that dated back to grass season, as well as an eight-match winning streak in Gstaad, where he won his first ATP title in 2018 while making his Swiss Open debut.