Casper Ruud, the world No. 10, secured his place in the third round of the Barcelona Open with a straight-set win over Ben Shelton on Wednesday. Ruud, who has struggled to find his form this year, winning only six matches outside of Estoril, defeated Shelton 6-2, 7-6 in an hour and 39 minutes.
Despite Shelton’s impressive performance, he could not force a decider after losing the first set. In the second set, Shelton had opportunities to break Ruud’s serve but failed to convert them. Ruud capitalized on his chances, breaking Shelton three times from eight opportunities to seal the victory in straight sets.
Ruud saved four out of five break points and produced focused tennis in the tie break to clinch the match. He failed to serve out for the win in the second set before playing composed tennis in the tie break to come out on top.
The young American, Shelton, showed glimpses of his potential and had three service winners more than Ruud. However, he could not deliver his best tennis in the tie break, allowing Ruud to seal the victory.
Both players served well in the opening games of the match before Shelton experienced issues at 1-1. A left-hander sprayed a backhand error on the third break point to give Ruud the break and fall 2-1 behind.
Ruud will face the winner of the match between Pablo Cuevas and Jaume Munar in the third round of the tournament.