Casper Ruud steadied himself after an early wobble to beat Marin Cilic 7-6(2), 6-4 on his Stockholm return, opening his campaign at the indoor hard-court ATP 250 in sharp serving form. The second seed trailed 1-4 in the first set before locking in on serve, holding to love in four straight games and then winning all 12 of his first-serve points in the second set. The one-hour, 50-minute win pushed his season mark in opening rounds to 14-3 and lifted his head-to-head record against Cilic to 4-0. The result bolsters Ruud’s push to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals for a fourth time; he is currently 11th in the race. He will face Sebastian Korda in the quarter-finals.
Exciting Matches in Stockholm
Korda earlier edged Kamil Majchrzak 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in two hours and 33 minutes. The American dominated on serve in the deciding set, dropping only four of 28 points, and notched his 100th tour-level win on hard courts, becoming the fifth player born in the 2000s to reach that milestone.
Former Stockholm champion Denis Shapovalov navigated a tricky test against wild card Leo Borg, winning 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 inside the Royal Tennis Hall. The Canadian missed a chance to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set but regained control in the decider. Borg, the son of Bjorn Borg, was bidding for his third ATP Tour victory. Third-seeded Shapovalov advanced to his fourth Stockholm quarter-final in five appearances and will meet either Jacob Fearnley or Swedish wild card Elias Ymer.
In first-round play, Lorenzo Sonego defeated British qualifier Arthur Fery 6-4, 6-2 to set up a second-round meeting with Aleksandar Kovacevic, who led eighth seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli 4-6, 7-5, 4-0 when the Argentine retired. Marton Fucsovics beat Jesper de Jong 6-1, 6-2 to earn a clash with top seed and 2022 Stockholm champion Holger Rune.
As the tournament progresses, fans can look forward to thrilling matches and exceptional performances from these talented players. With Ruud, Korda, and Shapovalov advancing, the competition in Stockholm promises to deliver unforgettable moments.