Ruud saves two match points to deny Tsitsipas in Madrid epic
Tsitsipas (world No 80) had two match points at 5-3 in the third set. Ruud (No 12) saved them both, won the tiebreak 7-3, and roared. Nine straight wins in Madrid, defending champion, ice cold. Tsitsipas played the best tennis of his year and still lost.
Casper Ruud, Madrid 2026 | © Madrid Trophy Promotion
Casper Ruud, the No 12 seed, saved two consecutive match points to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) in nearly three hours on Tuesday and advance to the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open, extending his winning streak at the Caja Mágica to nine matches.
Tsitsipas served for the match at 5-3 in the third set and held two match points. Ruud erased both, broke back, and never looked like losing again — winning the tiebreak 7-3 with a passing shot at 3-3 that he later identified as the turning point.
“I was very close to going home already,” Ruud said on court. “I’m proud of the way I came back and fought. I had to refocus, change mindset and I think my passing shot at 3-3 in the tiebreak was the turning point.” He grinned at his father in the stands, who let out a smile that told its own story.
The defending champion had looked untouchable entering the match, having dropped just five games across his first two rounds. This was a different examination. Tsitsipas, ranked No 80 but playing as if the ranking were a fiction, had not conceded a single break point in four matches in Madrid – beating Kypson, Bublik and Merida with an authority his world ranking could not explain.
Tsitsipas back at it
He arrived at the Caja Mágica on a three-match losing streak, at the lowest ranking since February 2018, and produced some of the best tennis of his season. It was not enough.
What Tsitsipas leaves Madrid with, nonetheless, is a foundation. During the tournament he became the fourth player to record 100 clay-court wins this decade. He had spoken during the week about rediscovering joy on the court – “the joy of the game on its own allows you to feel fulfilled already when you’re on the court” — and the match against Ruud felt like the most vivid expression of that. He lost. He played very well.
Ruud added: “Not sure what it is, but I really like my time here. This tournament is fantastic. Some of you might know I came here as a young kid to watch the tournament. Maybe that’s where it all began for me in Madrid.” He faces the winner of the match between Francisco Cerundolo, the No 16 seed, and Alexander Blockx in the quarter-finals.
