He limped off to victory in the first set and played his way to victory in the second. But in the third set, Ruud struggled to face his opponent from Russia. Instead of Ruud securing the final ticket in the third set, the Russian showed he was still in the game.

As a result, both were knocked out in the fourth set – but that’s where the 23-year-old really excelled.

Ruud took six matches in a row and with that sealed victory in the semi-finals 7–6 (7-5), 6–2. 5-7 and 6-2.

– We were both a little nervous at the start, and you have to remember that this was probably the biggest match of our careers for both of us. “The win in the first set gave me peace of mind, and in the second and fourth I played phenomenally,” said a satisfied Ruud in an interview on the pitch after the game.

Not only is he ready for the final: If Carlos Alcaraz loses in tonight’s semi-final against Frances Tiafoe, Ruud will become the world’s best ranked player.

– I will of course watch, said Ruud with a smile.

Played big in the second set

After playing a very even first set, which continued into the tiebreak, Casper Ruud took the win. But in the second set, Casper Ruud appeared with a completely different confidence.

The 23-year-old played big and at times seemed to have a firm grip on his Russian opponent.

But then turned around in the third set. The Russian has improved tremendously and Ruud has sometimes struggled against the 26-year-old.

Ruud has good control of his own serve play, but so does his opponent. It wobbled back and forth before failing slightly for Norway. She ended up having to hold her serve to get the tiebreak, but she couldn’t.

As a result, the match continued into the fourth set.

Here too, Ruud had to struggle a bit at the start, but on his own serve, he delivered the goods.

– This is a game of tennis. It’s absolutely crazy how good this forehand is, said Discovery commentator Svein-Espen Olsen, as Ruud took a 30–15 lead in the third game of the fourth set.

At 40–15, Ruud had two chances to break, and did so on the first. For the first time on set, he took the lead.

From there, the 23-year-old began to look more like himself from the second set.

Tough duel

Ruud started well in the match against Khatjanov. The Norwegian took the first game before breaking in the second and thus leading 2-0. But then the Russian got the better of it and the first set got even more balanced.

– I think Casper looks a little unsure, commentator Svein-Espen Olsen said of his 4-3 lead over the Russian in the first set.

It all became a very evenly played affair, which eventually ended in a tiebreak.

Ruud ended up getting set pieces, but Khatjanov saved the first two. Then, after a long and wild exchange of balls in the third set, Ruud finally won the first set.

The Russian took the lead in the second set, before Ruud made a slightly delayed start. The Norwegian won four straight sets and suddenly led 5-1. Khatjanov won one game, but Ruud ended up winning the set 6-2.

Ruud and Khatjanov have only met once before, namely in the first round of the ATP 1000 tournament in Rome in 2020. The Norwegian then won 2-1.

The road to number one

Finals-ready Casper Ruud could be number one in tonight’s world rankings, but may also have to fight for the title in the final. There are different paths to the number one position.

If Ruud won the final, however, he would rise to the top of the world rankings. But he can also be number one if he reaches the final and does not face Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard plays a semi-final against Frances Tiafoe tonight through Saturday Norwegian time.

If neither Ruud nor Alcaraz make it to the final, Rafael Nadal will top the rankings. Now between Ruud and Alcaraz – before the latter plays its semi-final.