Ruud into Stockholm final to face Humbert after beating Shapovalov

Casper Ruud defeated Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday at the Kungliga Tennishallen to reach the Stockholm Open final, where he will face France's Ugo Humbert. The second seed closed out the semifinal in 80 minutes, breaking the Canadian three times across the two sets and serving efficiently throughout the match.

Ruud, ranked No. 12, broke Shapovalov twice in the first set and once in the second, converting key opportunities and limiting his opponent to 12 unforced errors. After the match Ruud said, "I served extremely well today, that's what made the difference. Denis is a dangerous player, so I tried to keep him uncomfortable, especially on the return games. It's an amazing feeling to reach a Stockholm final." Shapovalov described Ruud as "rock solid from start to finish" and acknowledged he had "played well in patches" but could not seize enough chances.

The Norwegian’s run to Sunday’s championship match followed a comeback quarterfinal victory over Sebastian Korda on Friday, when he recovered from a first-set tiebreak loss to win 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. Earlier in the tournament Ruud had beaten Marin Cilic 7-6, 6-4. The Stockholm final will be Ruud’s 26th career ATP final and...