Monte Carlo Masters: Fourth-Seeded Casper Ruud goes down to qualifier Struff

MONTE CARLO: Jan-Lennard Struff reached the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday with a 6-1, 7-6(6) win over fourth-seeded Casper Ruud as the German qualifier took another step in his comeback from an injury.

Having been ranked 29th, Struff dropped as low as as No. 168 after sustaining a foot fracture last year during a match in Miami, an injury that left him sidelined for more than two months.

Struff has enjoyed a good start to the season and returned to the Top 100 last month but had not beaten anyone in the Top 10 this year before taking on Ruud at the Country Club.

His aggressive style of play resulted in 37 winners and 23 points won at the net against Ruud, who dropped his serve four times.

Struff ended Ruud’s nine-match winning streak on clay. The 2022 French Open runner-up had won his past two tournaments on the surface, in Gstaad last July and in Estoril last week.

Struff will next be up against 2021 runner-up Andrey Rublev, who beat Karen Khachanov 7-6(4), 6-2 at the Country Club.

“We know each other too well. The first set was only mental. We didn’t show some tennis skills,” Rublev said. “But it was tough to show skills because the wind was really hard and the court was slippery and it was tough to do something.”

Also, two-time defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 6-4 without dropping his serve.

“I had to deal with a few (tough) points, especially when he had break points,” said Tsitsipas, who next plays against eighth-seeded Taylor Fritz. “I dealt with those situations very maturely and played precisely, so it was great out there.”

Seventh-seeded Jannick Sinner came from behind and saved a match point to get past No. 10-seeded Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-1. Sinner came out on top of a 22-shot rally when down 6-5 in the tiebreaker to remain in the match. Hurkacz lost the next two points and threw his racket in anger, then totally lost his focus in the decider.

“Playing against him, I knew already from the beginning that it was very tough to get into the rhythm,” Sinner said. “I think he served incredible in the first one and a half sets, and when I broke him the first time the momentum changed a little bit.”

Sixth-seeded Holger Rune advanced to the quarterfinals without playing when Matteo Berrettini withdrew due to an injury.

“I don’t know where to start... I was finally finding my level and getting back to where I wanted to be... this is a difficult one,” Berrettini said in a statement.

“I’m very sad to announce I will not be able to play my match today in Monte Carlo. I felt some pain in my obliques during my match yesterday. The pain became significantly worse overnight.

“After consulting with my medical team we decided to have an MRI scan this morning. I have a grade 2 tear in my internal oblique muscle.” Agencies

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