Estoril [Portugal], April 8 : World No. 5 Casper Ruud produced a strong performance to down defending champion Sebastian Baez 6-3, 6-0 to advance into the semi-finals of the Estoril Open.
Ruud used a deep return position and pinpoint accuracy from the baseline to put fifth seed Baez on the defensive. The Argentine will be disappointed that he only converted one of his seven break points, four of which came in the second set.
But Ruud, a nine-time tour-level champion, held his ground and advanced after one hour and 18 minutes.
Ruud will next meet Frenchman Quentin Halys, who continues to break new ground in 2023.
"It was great, particularly the second set, it was a great level by me. Very happy and pleased with that. Sebastian is a tough player. The score can sometimes lie a little bit. 6-3, 6-0 is not necessarily how it felt on court. But that's tennis, small margins in this sport and when you have the margins on your side, some points, some lines here and there can go your [way]," ATP.com quoted Ruud as saying.
"It's my first semi-final of the year, it's important for me to try to do well now and win some matches. This is a very good start to the clay season for me," Ruud said.
On the other hand, Halys cruised to his first ATP Tour semi-final when he defeated former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem 6-1, 6-4 to reach the last four.
"I'm playing really, really good at the moment. For me to be here in the semi-finals for the first tournament on clay is huge for me and I've played some really good players. I'm so happy and I'm looking forward for tomorrow because I think I can do well again tomorrow. It's going to be a tough one, but I'm really looking forward [to it]," Halys said.
In other action, 2018 Roland Garros semi-finalist Marco Cecchinato and sixth seed Miomir Kecmanovic set a semi-final clash against one another.
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