Casper Ruud described his crushing 6-0, 6-1 defeat by Jannik Sinner as “almost fun.”
The Norwegian, age 26, was soundly defeated by the world No. 1 in only 65 minutes during their quarter-final match in Rome today.
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Sinner, 23, is competing in his first tournament since winning the Australian Open in January, returning after a break due to injury.
Meanwhile, Ruud entered the Italian Open in excellent form, having recently beaten Britain`s Jack Draper to claim the title in Madrid.
Playing flawlessly before an enthusiastic home crowd on Campo Centrale, Sinner overwhelmed Ruud.
Despite the lopsided loss, the three-time Grand Slam finalist maintained good spirits after the match, smiling as he hugged Sinner at the net.
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In his post-match press conference, Ruud reflected: “It doesn’t feel so bad… Honestly, I think it was more fun than anything… it’s like you just look at the guy and say: ‘Wow, this is kind of next-level s***.’ Excuse my language.”
He added, “It was almost fun to witness at the same time. Of course, I wish it was a closer match… But I think that I was there ready to play, he was just even readier.”
Sinner, who had recently met the Pope at the Vatican, commented on his performance: “It was a great performance… But things can change quickly… Every day is different. Tomorrow is a different opponent… I always try to prepare myself in the best possible way.”
Before his break, Sinner had an impressive 80-6 record since the beginning of 2024.
Despite his recent three-month absence, the reigning Australian Open champion entered Rome as the comfortable world No. 1.
Sinner defeated Mariano Navone of Argentina 6-3, 6-4 in his return match last Saturday.
He followed this with straight-sets victories over Jesper De Jong and Francisco Cerundolo before his decisive win against Ruud in the quarter-finals.
Sinner is scheduled to play against American Tommy Paul in tomorrow`s semi-finals.
If he wins his semi-final against the 11th seed, Sinner will potentially face Carlos Alcaraz or fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti in Sunday`s final.
Credit: EPA
