Ruud rallies with serve to conquer Stockholm opener
Staring down an early hole against Marin Cilic’s relentless power, Casper Ruud dialed in his delivery on the indoor hard courts, turning deficit into dominance to advance in the BNP Paribas Nordic Open.
In the crisp confines of Stockholm‘s indoor arena, Casper Ruud returned to the BNP Paribas Nordic Open with a season’s worth of stakes riding on every point. The second seed absorbed a bruising start from the big-hitting Marin Cilic, slipping to 1-4 in the opening set as the Croat’s deep returns and flat groundstrokes disrupted his baseline rhythm. Yet Ruud steadied himself, unleashing commanding serves that sliced through the tension, securing a 7-6(2), 6-4 victory and pushing his opening-round record to 14-3 this year.
Early pressure fuels tactical reset
Ruud’s shaky beginning mirrored the uneven patches that have marked his 2025 campaign, where focus lapses have amplified the urgency of his Nitto ATP Finals pursuit. From that precarious spot, he ignited a surge of precision, holding serve to love in four straight games to drag the set into a tiebreak. His groundstrokes gained edge, blending heavy topspin forehands crosscourt with slicing backhands that jammed Cilic’s aggressive returns, shifting the exchanges into grueling rallies the Norwegian navigated with trademark footwork.
The crowd’s murmurs built as Ruud‘s serves kicked sharply off the low-bouncing surface, forcing weak replies and eroding the veteran’s early momentum. This pivot not only clawed back the set but injected confidence into the decider, where his one–two combinations—serve followed by deep inside-out forehands—kept Cilic at bay, denying the big hitter room to unleash down-the-line winners.
“It was a good match, I’m very happy,” said Ruud, who improved to 4-0 in his ATP Head2Head series with Cilic. “Marin is a great player, very aggressive. He got a better start than me, so I just tried to get my form and rhythm back into the match. I’m really happy with the win.”
Striking hot in Stockholm @bnppnordicopen | #bnppnordicopen | @CasperRuud98 pic.twitter.com/iEs9Su9W1q
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 15, 2025
Serving dominance drives season boost
In the second set, Ruud elevated his delivery into a clinic, claiming all 12 first-serve points as tracked by ATP Stats, a run that highlighted his adaptation to the indoor hard’s swift tempo. These holds preserved his energy, allowing fluid movement to cover the court and counter Cilic’s power with consistent depth. The 1-hour, 50-minute affair ended on his terms, reaffirming resilience in a year where every victory chips away at the grind toward Turin.
Now 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as the 2022 runner-up, he eyes a fourth straight Finals berth, with this ATP 250 result adding crucial ground. The win sets up a quarterfinal clash with Sebastian Korda, who outlasted Kamil Majchrzak 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a 2-hour, 33-minute battle, dropping only four of 28 serve points in the third to notch his 100th hard-court victory—the fifth for a player born in the 2000s.
Draw unfolds with intriguing matchups
Across the bracket, Lorenzo Sonego launched his bid for a second indoor title, overpowering British qualifier Arthur Fery 6-4, 6-2 with aggressive forehand drives that pinned the newcomer. He advances to face Aleksandar Kovecevic, who took a retirement after leading eighth seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli 4-6, 7-5, 4-0 due to injury, injecting unpredictability into the middle rounds.
Marton Fucsovics, meanwhile, dispatched Jesper de Jong 6-1, 6-2 in efficient fashion, his steady returns earning a spotlight matchup against top seed and 2022 Stockholm champion Holger Rune. As the tournament heats up on October 15, 2025, Ruud’s rediscovered edge positions him to navigate these swift courts, where sustained serving could propel him deeper into the draw and solidify his end-of-year contention.
