ATP Gstaad: Top seed Ruud suffers a surprising exit, and Bublik advances to the semifinals.

Norwegian star Ruud is participating in his first event since this year's French Open, having previously been considered one of the favorites for the title after winning the Madrid Masters. However, he lost to Borges in the second round of the French Open and faced a knee injury, which forced him to withdraw from the grass season, including Wimbledon.

Ruud profile image.

The 26-year-old Ruud returned as the top seed at the ATP 250 Gstaad this week, winning his opening match in straight sets against Stricker. However, he faced an upset in the quarter-finals. Argentine player J. Cerundolo staged a remarkable comeback after being down 0-3 in the deciding set, ultimately defeating the current world No. 13 Ruud with scores of 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, marking the most significant victory of his career in terms of ranking. Ruud had previously achieved a 10-match winning streak at this event, having won consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023.

"It was really tough; he completely dominated me at that moment," Cerundolo admitted after the match. "But I kept fighting. When I was down 0-3, I gradually built up momentum, combined with his errors, and I closed the gap to 1-3. Once the score was 2-3, I regained my confidence and intensified my attacks, which was key to my comeback."

This victory ensures the Argentine will return to the TOP 100 for the first time since October 2023 (rising 20 spots to No. 89). In the semifinals, he will face Peruvian qualifier Buse, who defeated Bruchaga 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, reaching the semifinals in just his second ATP Tour event.

In the other quarter-final match in the bottom half, second seed Bublik defeated Kolesanov 6-4, 6-3, without facing a break point. He will compete against French player Kazoo, who triumphed over local wildcard Kim in a three-set battle, for a spot in the final.

(Written and edited by Wang Fei, images from Visual China.)