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Norway's Casper Ruud defeated Denis Shapovalov of Canada 7-6(6), 6-4 in the final of the Geneva Open on Saturday to lift his second career title.
Denis Shapovalov, seeded second, had dropped only one set in the tournament prior to the final, but could not find a way past a determined Ruud in the summit clash.
Ruud and Shapovalov went toe-to-toe with each other for most of the match, but the Norwegian was able to raise his level at crucial moments, including the tie-break in the first set, to register a memorable victory.
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On that note, let us take a look at three factors that stood out in the match:
#1 Casper Ruud's solidity in the face of Denis Shapovalov's aggression
Denis Shapovalov was definitely the more aggressive of the two players and tried to overpower Ruud in the first set. The Canadian struck a number of winners, most of them off his forehand wing, as he looked to take control of the rallies.
However, Denis Shapovalov committed a lot of unforced errors as the match progressed, which proved to be his undoing.
Ruud, on the other hand, stayed solid from the back of the court and maintained his composure throughout the match. Ultimately, the approach paid off as he was able to outlast his opponent.
#2 Dominance on serve
Neither player looked comfortable returning the other's serve, resulting in just one break in the match. Casper Ruud broke Denis Shapovalov's serve in the fifth game of the second set to lead 3-2 after which he raced to victory.
Ruud won 79% of points behind his first serve (26/33) and was even more efficient behind his second delivery, winning 81% of points (22/27). The Norwegian did not face a single break point throughout the match.
Shapovalov also had impressive numbers on serve, especially in the first set, where he dropped only one point (15/16) on first serve heading into the tie-break. However, his first-serve percentage dropped off in the second set, opening the door for Ruud to take control.
#3 Interesting mix of strategies
Both Casper Ruud and Denis Shapovalov altered their respective gameplans towards the end of the first set. Ruud began to hit his forehand with more top-spin and tried to extend the rallies to draw errors from the Canadian.
Denis Shapovalov, on the other hand, started to approach the net more frequently in an attempt to shorten the points. However, that strategy backfired as he lost most of the points at the net through a combination of misplaced volleys and excellent passing shots by Ruud.
