Photo: Guglielmo Mangiapane / Reuters / NTB
(Miomir Kecmanovic – Casper Ruud 0–6, 6–4, 6–4) A lock in the back turned the match on its head for Casper Ruud (25).
Friday 10 May at 23:16
Because after winning the first set 6–0, it looked like Ruud would cruise to victory in the second round of the Italian Open major.
But Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic hit back in cash. First he won 6–4 in the second set – and during the break Ruud had to leave the court to receive medical treatment for a sore back.
– It was a bit sad to see. You don’t win tennis matches without good first serves, says TV 2’s expert Christer Francke.
Photo: TIZIANA FABI / AFP / NTB
Ruud tells TV 2 that he got a lock in his back during the warm-up.
– It’s nothing serious, it’s not an injury or something I’ve struggled with. There is a small twist or rotation that causes it to lock completely in the lower part of the back, he adds TV 2.
– It’s crazy. Most people who have had a lock or kink in their back know that it is no fun. In tennis you rotate from side to side all the time, so it is unfavorable to get that in a tennis match, Ruud continues.
The Norwegian did not find his way back to the same level as in the opening and eventually lost 4–6 in the decisive third set.
– I have not seen such a turn of events this season. It is very surprising, says TV 2 expert Francke.
He considered Ruud one of the big favorites in the tournament. Instead, there was an immediate exit. Now the question is whether the back problems will have a say in Ruud’s participation in the Grand Slam tournament French Open. It starts at the end of May.
Kecmanovic and Ruud know each other well as they were doubles partners for a number of years. After Friday’s victory, the Serb leads 3-2 against the Norwegian head-to-head.
– I tried to forget the score and just play. Fortunately, it went my way. It’s probably one of my biggest victories, says Kecmanovic – who received a good hug from Ruud after the match.
The Serb won twice against Ruud in 2019, before the Snarøya man drew the longest straw in the final of the Estoril Open last year and in the Madrid Open very recently.
On Friday, Kecmanovic hit back – and took his very first victory against Ruud on the gravel – after an impressive turnaround.