Final Preview: Ruud & Alcaraz Face Off For Miami Title

The Miami Open presented by Itau draws to a close on Sunday and is set for a thrilling climax, as World No. 8 Casper Ruud takes on #NextGenATP sensation Carlos Alcaraz at Hard Rock Stadium.

[6] Casper Ruud (NOR) vs. [14] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)

Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz had something in common when they arrived in Miami two weeks ago – neither player knew what it was like to win a match at the ATP Masters 1000 event in southern Florida.

Five victories later and having dropped just a single set each en route to Sunday’s final, both players have rectified that record in spectacular fashion. On Sunday each has the opportunity to cap a dream run in Miami by clinching a maiden Masters 1000 crown.

After losing his three previous Masters 1000 semi-finals – all on his favoured clay – sixth seed Ruud broke his final-four duck in style on Friday with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Argentine Francisco Cerundolo. The Norwegian’s clean ball-striking off both wings has looked ready-made for the Miami hard courts but the World No. 8 admits to still being pleasantly surprised at his progress at Hard Rock Stadium.

“It was not where I imagined myself playing my first Masters 1000 final [on a hard court], but I will take it,” Ruud said after defeating Cerundolo. “It is a great feeling, and I am enjoying the city and the tournament.”

Of Ruud’s nine tour-level finals to date, eight have been on clay. Yet his 2021 season included quarter-final runs at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto, the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati and the Rolex Paris Masters. Those hard-court performances helped the Norwegian qualify for the year-end Nitto ATP Finals for the first time and have quietened any talk of him being only suited to the red dirt.

“I think last year, when I reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, [it] kind of gave me a confidence boost on the surface,” said Ruud, who is the first Norwegian to reach a Masters 1000 championship match. “Because I never felt too bad on hard courts, but it’s just that my game seems to suit the clay a little bit better. My biggest results were on clay up until last year. I think they still are. But now here I have a final.

“Obviously the Nitto ATP Finals was kind of what topped everything when I reached the semis. That was a big result. Even though now coming into hard court tournaments, I think my mindset is a little bit different.”

This confidence has been on full display throughout his run in Miami so far. After securing his first victory against Henri Laaksonen in the second round, Ruud took out Alexander Bublik, Cameron Norrie and World No. 4 Alexander Zverev for the biggest win of his career before his triumph over Cerundolo. The Norwegian now holds a 13-3 record for the 2022 season, a tally that includes a seventh ATP Tour title clinched in Buenos Aires in February.

His next task is to stop Alcaraz from becoming the youngest men’s champion in Miami tournament history, but that will take some doing. The Spaniard has lit up Hard Rock Stadium with a string of dazzling performances to the delight of the Miami fans, the latest of which was his 7-6(5), 7-6(2) win over defending Hubert Hurkacz on Friday evening.

“I have a lot of emotions right now,” said Alcaraz after battling past the Pole to reach the biggest final of his young career. “It’s something that you dream of when you are a child. It’s really good to be in the final here in Miami. I love playing here. The crowd is amazing. I’m going to approach the final like a first round, trying to mask the nerves. I’m going to enjoy it, it’s going to be a great final.”

The Spaniard may still be a month shy of his 19th birthday, but he already appears at ease on the big stage. Even disappointments such as his three-set semi-final defeat to Rafael Nadal at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in March will stand him in good stead, the Spaniard believes.

“It was a great match against Rafa,” said Alcaraz after his win over Hurkacz on Friday. “I think that I played a great match against him. But I think that I learned how to play in a semi-final in a Masters 1000. It was my first one, so now [in the] second one I managed to do much better than in Indian Wells.

“It was different match, but I think that the nerves, the tough moments, I managed better in this one than Indian Wells.”

Alcaraz has certainly shown he can handle pressure throughout his Miami run. The 14th seed has been broken just twice in the tournament so far, saving 15 break points across his wins over Marton Fucsovics, Marin Cilic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Miomir Kecmanovic and Hurkacz.

Alcaraz’s form in Miami has only been a continuation of a red-hot start to 2022 that included a maiden ATP 500 title claimed in Rio de Janeiro in February. The Hurkacz win took the reigning Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion to a 17-2 record for the season, and he will move from his current ranking of No. 16 to the brink of the Top 10 in Monday’s edition of the ATP Rankings regardless of the result on Sunday.

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Like the rest of the tennis world, Ruud has been impressed by Alcaraz’s mature displays. “I think we all can see like how talented he is, that he has a very good mind for tennis,” said the Norweigan. “He understands the game very well. He knows when to hit certain shots and when probably not to.”

The Spaniard leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head series 1-0 after upsetting Ruud in straight sets at the ATP 250 event in Marbella a year ago. Alcaraz has spoken openly about the physical improvements he has made since then and has produced some stunning all-court tennis in Miami, but Ruud nonetheless remains confident that he can be the one to end the youngster’s dream run.

“He is, at his highest level, very, very good, but he also plays high risk, I think, so he goes for the shots quite often,” Ruud said when asked about his opponent in Sunday’s final. “Hopefully if I play him he will miss a couple of those.

“I played him last year. I think he played a very good match. You know, I barely had any chance at all, I felt like, so I would try to seek revenge of course. He was just coming out firing flames at me. I will try to use that and think I would like to get some revenge.”