With help from painkillers, Ruud beats Cerundolo to reach Madrid Open final against Draper

MADRID (AP) — With the help of painkillers, Casper Ruud overcame a rib ailment to defeat Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets and reach the Madrid Open final on Friday.

Ruud will face Jack Draper, who beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the other semifinal to make his third final of the year.

Ruud received treatment on his rib three games into the match and went on to win 6-4, 7-5 on the Caja Magica center court.

The 15th-ranked Norwegian saved 15 of the 18 break points he faced against the 21st-ranked Argentine.

Ruud said he felt something in his rib during the warmup, just before going out on the court. He said he “felt it in nearly every shot, especially the serve.”

“I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish the match, honestly,” Ruud said. “I got a couple of painkillers, which is not the ideal thing, but at the same time in a situation like this, you have to do that now and then. It was easing and getting better as the match went on.”

A former world No. 2, Ruud will return to the top 10 thanks to his campaign in Madrid. He could reach No. 6 in the rankings with a win in the final.

Ruud — a 12-time tour champion — would also become the first Norwegian to lift an ATP 1000 trophy since the series was introduced in 1990, according to the ATP.

Ruud had lost two matches in a row against Cerundolo, who knocked out top-seeded Alexander Zverev earlier.

Red-hot Draper

The sixth-ranked Draper improved his record against 11th-ranked Musetti to 4-0.

Draper won at Indian Wells in March. After his quarterfinal victory in Madrid, he secured a top-five debut in the rankings.

“I felt like both of us, our quality didn’t really drop from the first ball,” Draper said. “Credit to Lorenzo, he’s obviously playing so good on the clay. I played him on hard, and on grass when we were juniors, growing up with him. But on clay, he’s a different beast, so to get this win on this court in this stage, semifinals, it means so much to me.”

Draper, who hasn't lost a set on his way to the final, said this time his mom brought him some extra luck.

“Seems like every match she’s come to I’ve been terrible. So I was thinking when she said she was going to come yesterday I was like, ‘Oh, I’m not sure if you should come,’" he said. "But no, she ended up coming, and glad she did, because tonight was a really good performance, and maybe her luck’s changed when she comes to watch me play, so we’ll see."

Coco Gauff and top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka will meet in the women's final on Saturday.

___

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis