ATP Finals 2022: Casper Ruud qualifies for 2nd straight year

The race for the 2022 ATP Finals is heating up. On Friday, the third qualifier for the event was confirmed, as Casper Rudd of Norway sealed his place in the year-ending event, alongside two Spaniards, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal. It would be the Norwegian’s second successive year in Turin, with the tournament running between November 13-20. In 2021, he reached the semis of the competition, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev of Russia in straight sets. His spot was confirmed after he won his Round 2 match against Nicolas Jarry of Chile in the 2022 Korea Open (ATP 250 event) on Thursday.

Ruud said on his ATP Finals qualification, “I just got the news that I qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin again this year, and I’m looking forward to returning to Italy. I had a great time last year. It’s a great country for tennis.” He made a breakthrough in his game last year and has been on a rising spiral ever since.

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The 23-year-old Ruud has 47 wins in the ATP circuit this year and is third on the list after Alcaraz (52) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (49). He is currently ranked second in the ATP Singles Ranklings, his career-best to date, while it is the highest rank by a Norwegian since 1973.

Ruud’s first ATP Masters 100 event was in Miami in 2017, while his first Grand Slam appearance was at the Australian Open in 2018, where he played his first Slam final during the French Open this year, losing to Nadal. He has won three ATP titles this year, all of them being 250 ones, in Buenos Aires, Geneva and Gstaad. He also finished as the runner-up during the US Open this year, won by Alcaraz.