Ice Man Ruud thrills UTS Oslo crowd, comes back to beat Rune

It was everything the Oslo crowd wanted as Casper Ruud came from a quarter down to beat Holger Rune

Casper Ruud at the 2023 UTS Grand Final in London (Action Plus/Panoramic)

February 9, 2024

Oslo got exactly what they wanted as Casper “The Ice Man” Ruud came back from a quarter down to defeat Holger “The Viking” Rune, 6-21, 14-13, 17-12, 13-12.

The Telenor Arena crowd were firmly behind their man – who paused in his serve action on the very first point to encourage them to make even more noise.

But The Viking refused to be distracted, racing to a 5-0 lead and then winning the first quarter in decisive fashion, 21-6.

The Ice Man was struggling with his serve, possibly getting used to the limitations of the format, with no second serve permitted.

But he came out in the second quarter with much more precision, winning the first three points and moving to a 9-1 lead, forcing Rune to take his bonus card early and closing the gap to 9-4.

And although Rune continued to press, Ruud’s forehand saw him home to take the second quarter 14-13.

The Ice Man used his bonus card to great effect in the third quarter, extending his lead to 14-9, finishing the quarter with an error on his serve but then a great leaping smash volley to wrap it up 17-12.

The Viking, clearly riled after letting his lead slip, was urged by his coach Kenneth Carlsen to use his legs more, and indeed both players had been moving quickly and playing their points very swiftly. Rune played his bonus card in an effort to reclaim the lead but Ruud was not to be denied at this point, surging forward with confidence and hitting a delightful winner into the corner.

Rune’s backhand saved him in a 30-shot rally on quarter point, levelling at 12-12 – but with the crowd behind The Ice Man, he was buoyed over the line on deciding point to take the fourth quarter 13-12.