Casper Ruud reached the quarterfinals of the Madrid Masters after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7(4), 7-6(2), 7-6(3) in a tightly contested fourth-round match on clay. The Norwegian No. 12 seed edged the Greek opponent in a series of tiebreaks, showcasing strong serving and aggressive shot-making throughout the encounter.
The match remained competitive from the opening games, with both players holding serve comfortably in the early stages. Ruud targeted Tsitsipas's backhand repeatedly, a known vulnerability, while the Greek employed dropshots and varied his pace to stay competitive. The first set went to a tiebreak, which Ruud claimed 7-4.
The second and third sets followed a similar pattern, with neither player able to break serve. Ruud won the second-set tiebreak 7-2 and the third 7-3 to secure the victory. The match featured several dramatic moments, including net-cord calls and time violations that punctuated the baseline exchanges.
Ruud and Tsitsipas have met previously on clay, including at the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters, where Tsitsipas won the final. Ruud claimed victory the following week at Barcelona. Both players have deep familiarity with the Madrid red clay surface, one of the tour's premier clay-court events.
The quarterfinal draw awaits Ruud as the Madrid Masters continues.
Sources
- r/tennis: Madrid Masters R4 match report. Published 2026-04-28.