World No. 6 Jack Draper opens up on reaching Madrid Open final against Casper Ruud

This Friday, the semifinal matchups at the Madrid Open were decided. In the first match of the day, Casper Ruud defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 7-5 to secure his place in the tournament final. There, he will take on Jack Draper, who overcame Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6. The World No. 6 reflected on the significance of the victory.

“To get this win on this court in this stage, semi-finals, it means so much to me,” Draper said after the match, according to the official ATP Tour website. For the British player, this will be his third final of the year, after losing to Andrey Rublev in Doha and winning the Indian Wells Masters 1000 by defeating Holger Rune.

“Credit to Lorenzo, he’s obviously playing so good on the clay,” said Jack about Musetti. “I played him on hard, and on grass when we were juniors, growing up with him. But on clay, he’s a different beast… I felt like both of us, our quality didn’t really drop from the first ball.”

Key points for Draper

For Draper, this win not only brings him closer to a second title in 2025, but also earns him crucial points for multiple goals. On one hand, considering he was eliminated in the round of 64 at the Madrid Open in 2024, this performance will significantly boost his ATP ranking.

Casper Ruud from Norway

But that’s not all. With a spot in the Madrid final, Jack also overtook Alexander Zverev in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. Now the British star sits in second place, behind only Carlos Alcaraz, and is steadily solidifying his position for the Nitto ATP Finals set to take place in November.

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A special final for Casper Ruud too

While Jack Draper heads into Sunday’s final as the clear favorite to win the Madrid Open, he cannot afford to underestimate Casper Ruud. The Norwegian earned his place in the title match by defeating the Argentine Francisco Cerundolo and now has a major opportunity in his career.

He dropped out of the ATP top ten this week, falling from 10th to 15th place. However, his performance in Spain will bring him back to at least his previous spot, and potentially as high as 7th or 8th if he claims the title.

Moreover, this final represents a chance for Ruud to capture his first major tournament. Though he has 12 career titles, including the 2024 Barcelona Open, all of them have come at the ATP 250 or ATP 500 level. That’s why Sunday’s Madrid Masters 1000 final carries enormous importance for him.

Physical issues for Ruud in the semifinal

After his win over Cerundolo, Casper Ruud spoke with the media and admitted he experienced physical discomfort prior to the semifinal. “I felt something in my rib during warm-up, right before going out, and I felt it on almost every single shot, especially the serve,” he said.

“I got a couple of pain-killers—not the ideal thing, but in a situation like this you have to do that every now and then, and I was able to just try to play one game at a time, really,” Ruud explained. “I’m going to get it checked out now and hopefully it’s nothing too bad.”