If evidence were needed of just how slow the conditions are at the Miami Open, the presence of Casper Ruud in the final provides it. All but one of Ruud’s seven titles have come on clay, and if you had told the eighth-ranked Norwegian this time last week that he was about to reach the biggest final of his career at an event where he had never previously won a main draw match, he would probably have given you short shrift.
Yet Ruud is by no means a stranger to hard courts, having played regularly on them during his childhood in Oslo, and his results on the surface have steadily improved since last summer, when he won in San Diego, made three Masters 1000 quarter-finals, and reached the last four at the ATP Finals. In Miami, where he is seeded sixth, the 23-year-old upset Alexander Zverev in the last eight to claim the biggest win of his career, and in the semi-finals he chalked up another milestone, ending Francisco Cerundolo’s remarkable run 6-4, 6-1 to reach his first final at this level.
“I didn’t expect if I ever made a Masters 1000 final it would be here in Miami, but I’ll take it,” said Ruud. “Obviously I’m enjoying the conditions and how the court is playing and everything. It’s very, very slow compared to other hard courts, so I think it suits my game quite well.”
A taste for the conditions will only get you so far, however, as Hubert Hurkacz will attest. The Polish defending champion claimed a straight-sets win over top seed Daniil Medvedev in the last eight, and suggested afterwards that his familiarity with the Floridian climate, which caused Medvedev all manner of problems, had been an important contributory factor. Hurkacz was nonetheless unable to extend his 10-match unbeaten streak in Miami, the Spanish 14th seed Carlos Alcaraz prevailing 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-2) with the kind of sparkling performance that has become increasingly familiar in recent months.
“It’s something that you dream of when you are a child,” said Alcaraz. “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.”
Like Ruud, Alcaraz has never previously reached a Masters 1000 final, and Sunday’s championship showdown promises to be a collision of irresistible force and immovable object. The pair have met once before, Alcaraz claiming a 6-2, 6-4 win in Marbella last year, but Ruud is hopeful that his lower-risk style can reap dividends this time around.
“We all can see how talented he is, that he has a very good mind for tennis,” said Ruud. “He understands the game very well. He knows when to hit certain shots and when, you know, probably not to. He is, at his highest level, very, very good, but he also plays high risk, so he goes for the shots quite often. 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, so I will 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.”