Norwegian Ruud Stopped in Semis, Andujar Celebrates Victory

07.06.2019 17:35:15 | The third seeded Pablo Andujar of Spain stopped the top seeded Casper Ruud on his way to the final. The Norwegian had a chance to turn the match in the second set at 2:3: he had three advantages but he failed to level. Andujar increased his lead to 4:2 and then to 5:3. The Norwegian reduced the score to 4:5 but the Spaniard did let his chance go by.

“I’ll try to be aggressive and play my game. I hope I’ll get a chance to defeat him,” said Andujar after the semifinal and his words proved true. What was the Spaniard’s journey to the final? He defeated Wang of France 6:0, 6:1 in the second round, Safwat of Egypt 6:4, 6:3 in the third round, and Hassan of Germany 6:0, 6:2 in the quarter final.

Andujar eliminated the top seed even though he had some concerns before the match. How did he comment on it? “I played a wonderful match today. I think we both played very well, it was a great battle. The opponent was leading 2:0 and 40:0 in the second set on his serve. However, I managed to turn the match and it significantly influenced the following course of the duel. Moreover, I broke his serve later on and was the happier of the two of us in the end.”

Andujar will meet Attila Balasz in the final. Does he have any experience with him yet? “He’s a great player. He plays solidly and aggressively from the base line and throws the balls deep in the court. Let alone he’s got a big serve with a kick. He’ll definitely be a tough opponent. Like I said before, there are no easy opponents at this tournament and every match is hard. I’m really glad I’ve made it to the final.”

How did Andujar like the crowd which was even bigger than yesterday? “I think we played a good match for the crowd and that it was quite spectacular. I hope they’ll also come and support us in the final.”