The China Mail - Ruud downs Cerundolo to book spot in Madrid Open final

The Norwegian saved a whopping 15 of 18 break points faced during the one-hour 54-minute clash to reach a third Masters 1000 final, and first since Monte Carlo last year.

Overcoming early chest discomfort and in the face of a rowdy pro-Argentinian crowd, Ruud was proud of how he handled the adversity to book a final against Jack Draper or Lorenzo Musetti.

"There's a lot of things to deal with as a player. It's a lot of fun, of course, travelling the world and living this life is like a dream, don't get me wrong. But of course you have struggles all along, almost every single week you're dealing with some kind of minor pain or fatigue or stress somehow," said the 26-year-old Ruud.

Ruud had to save four break points before he held serve in the opening game.

At the 2-1 changeover, the Norwegian asked for a medical timeout and told the trainer he felt a sharp pain in his chest while warming up with the medicine ball before the match, and it extended all the way to his back.

Ruud received treatment and took painkillers before stepping back on court.

Unnerved by the interruption, Cerundolo took the next two games, breaking Ruud at love to move ahead 3-2 but the Argentine's lead was short-lived as his opponent struck right back.

Ruud upped the pressure in game 10 with a signature inside-out forehand and snatched the set on the 48-minute mark.

The second set was a see-saw affair that witnessed a combined five breaks of serve from 18 break point opportunities.

During a marathon 13-minute game, Ruud saved seven break points to hold for 3-2, but not before he had an argument with the chair umpire, over Argentinian fans disrupting him ahead of his serve.

The pivotal moment came in game 12 as Ruud converted a second match point to reach his first Madrid final.

"Too good, huh. Good luck," Cerundolo told Ruud at the net.

After dropping to 15 in the world, Ruud is projected to return to the top 10 by virtue of reaching the final.

"I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish the match, honestly," said the Norwegian.

"I felt something in my rib during warm-up, just towards the end, before going out and I felt it on almost every shot, especially the serve. And luckily I got some quick treatment on it. Of course I'll go and check it out more now. I took a couple of painkillers, which is not ideal but in a situation like this, you have to do that every now and then."

O.Tse--ThChM