Norway's Ruud conquers Madrid Open for maiden Masters crown

MADRID :Norway's Casper Ruud won his first Masters 1000 title on Sunday, as he stormed to a 7-5 3-6 6-4 victory over fifth seed Jack Draper in the Madrid Open final with a gutsy performance that showcased his claycourt mettle.

The 26-year-old 14th seed, playing in his 18th claycourt final, overcame both a rib injury sustained in the semi-final and a resilient Draper to secure the trophy after previously dispatching Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev and Francisco Cerundolo.

"It's been a long time coming. I have been dreaming about this since I was young. I knew Jack was playing unbelievable, so I had to bring my A+ game," Ruud said in an on-court interview.

Ruud staged an impressive comeback from 3-5 down in the opening set, breaking Draper twice to take it 7-5.

The Briton refused to go quietly in the second, however, holding to love for 3-3 before breaking Ruud twice while making just one unforced error to force a decider.

Although Draper was more composed at the start of the third set, it was Ruud who seized the initiative, breaking the Briton to take a 3-2 lead and securing the title with a hold to love.