October 18, (THEWILL) – World number eight, Casper Ruud, has admitted his recent Asian swing did not go according to plan after crashing out of the Japan Open in the second round. The Norwegian star was dumped out by American qualifier, Marcos Giron, ranked 79th, in straight sets 6-3 6-4.
It is another blow to Ruud’s hopes of qualifying for November’s season-ending ATP Finals. He currently sits 10th in the race for Turin, 295 points adrift of eighth-placed Holger Rune. Ruud reached the quarter-finals of the China Open and last 16 of the Shanghai Masters during his underwhelming Asian stint.
Reflecting on his surprise loss in Tokyo, where he exited in the first round last year, Ruud said it was a slight improvement but not what he hoped for. “I tried to play the same level as I did yesterday – maybe I wasn’t able to but it’s OK, it’s not always easy to shift from one day to the other with different opponents,” Ruud added.
Giron now faces in-form Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in the next round after he secured back-to-back wins for the first time since March. Auger-Aliassime overcame Sebastian Ofner while Ruud rues another missed opportunity to boost his chances of a Turin spot.
The second seed said there are still a couple of weeks left in the year to turn things around. But with time running out, Ruud knows his chances of making the season finale are fading after this latest setback.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
