Madrid Open: Jack Draper ousts Lorenzo Musetti, advances to final against Casper Ruud

Britain's Jack Draper and Norway's Casper Ruud advanced to the Madrid Open final on Friday after defeating Lorenzo Musetti and Francisco Cerundolo, respectively, in their semi-final matches. Ruud overcame a rib issue to win 6-4, 7-5, while Draper secured a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) victory.Ruud, who required a medical timeout due to chest and back discomfort, saved 15 of 18 break points during his one-hour 54-minute match against Cerundolo.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"To be back in a Masters 1000 final feels great. It's not every day you get to play for these titles. I've been in two finals before and lost both, so hopefully it'll be third time is a charm," Ruud said.The Norwegian lost his previous Masters 1000 finals in Monte Carlo 2024 and Miami 2022, making this his third attempt at claiming a title at this level.
Draper acknowledged the challenge ahead, praising his opponent's experience and achievements."Casper is such an experienced player, someone who has made finals of two Grand Slams, is just a complete pro, and someone who always gives his best and is so tough to beat. He's in the final, he's playing well, and I'm going to have to bring my A-game for sure," Draper said.Ruud's match began with early difficulties, requiring him to save four break points in the opening game.At 2-1, he called for a medical timeout due to sharp chest and back pain."Another good win for me against a tough player that I lost to earlier this year, so nice to get the revenge," said the 26-year-old Ruud.The second set featured five breaks of serve from 18 break point opportunities, with Ruud eventually prevailing."I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish the match, honestly. My physio took a look at it after and cracked my back up, which felt like a relief. Hopefully it's nothing too serious. I'll do everything we can, and I can, to feel better for tomorrow. Based on the way it felt, it shouldn't be too much to worry about for Sunday," Ruud explained.Ruud's performance will see him return to the top 10 rankings after previously dropping to 15th in the world.Draper, who improved to 4-0 in career meetings with Musetti, reached his second Masters 1000 final of the year."I felt like both of us, our quality didn't drop from the first ball. Credit to Lorenzo, he's honestly playing so good on the clay. I've played him on the hard and on the grass in the juniors, growing up with him. But on the clay he's a different beast and so, to get this win, on this court, in this stage, in the semi-finals of this competition, honestly it means so much to me," Draper said.The 23-year-old British left-hander displayed impressive form, hitting 20 winners against 19 unforced errors during the two-hour match.This victory ensures Draper, who won the Indian Wells tournament on hard court in March, will enter the top five rankings next week.