Casper Ruud reacts to potential Italian Open final against Jannik Sinner

Casper Ruud made quick work of Luciano Darderi, cruising to a 6-1, 6-1 victory in the Italian Open semi-final.

Although a rain delay interrupted play during the first set, Ruud’s control of the match never wavered.

Darderi, who’d wrapped up his quarter-final just hours before dawn earlier in the week, struggled to keep up physically. Ruud was sharp throughout.

Speaking after the win, Ruud turned his attention to the final, where he could face world number one Jannik Sinner.

Casper Ruud looking for payback against Sinner

“It will be a tough match no matter who it is,” Ruud said in his post-match interview.

“Either it will be a guy who cannot lose, it seems like, or it will be Daniil [Medvedev], who won this tournament before.

“Both are great players, incredible athletes.

“If it’s Jannik [Sinner], it will be another test for me, and hopefully I can get some sort of revenge from last time we played, and see if I can do better.

He said: “But no easy task, no matter who it is, and I’m really proud and happy to be in the final here, for the first time. It’s a good feeling after a bit of a troubling year.

“I’ve kind of kick-started the season now, and I’ll see if I can keep it going.”

Sinner dismantled Ruud at the Italian Open a year ago 6-0, 6-1.

Casper Ruud admits he was luckier than Luciano Darderi as schedule impacts become clear

Ruud is already looking forward to the final, but took a moment to analyse his semi-final win over Darderi.

“It feels great, a bit sorry for Luciano [Darderi] today,” he said.

“Playing at home and probably not with the most energy, it’s understandable…

“He finished at 2.30 the other night, and what a match he had and what a tournament he’s had.

“Luckily for me, I was done much earlier than him that day. I had more time to recover, get ready, and you know, it’s my 10th semi-final in a [Masters] 1000, and it’s his first, you try to use that experience to your advantage, and I think I did that well today.

“He was maybe a little bit stressed, a little bit nervous about the occasion but I tried to stay focused and in my own tunnel vision and I think I did well, was forcing a lot of errors out of his racket.”

Darderi must now decide whether to travel to Germany for the Hamburg Open as intended or rest ahead of Roland Garros.

The Hamburg Open begins on Monday May 18 before the French Open starts on Sunday May 24.

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