Casper Ruud bows out of Gstaad in first tournament since Roland Garros injury

Casper Ruud’s first tournament since Roland Garros ended in the quarterfinals on Friday, the former world No. 2 bowing out of the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.

Ruud lost the final six games of his last-eight encounter with the Argentine, ultimately exiting in two hours and nine minutes on Roy Emerson Arena.

Ruud had been off the court since a second-round loss in Paris, picking up a knee injury through a four-set defeat to Nuno Borges. The Norwegian had been one of the favorites prior to the tournament, having won his first Masters 1000 title at the Mutua Madrid Open earlier that month.

Ruud’s injury forced him to withdraw from Wimbledon, but the 26-year-old made a strong start to his Gstaad campaign with a straight-set victory over Dominic Stricker.

After losing the first set to Cerundolo, the younger brother of Top 20 stalwart Francisco Cerundolo, Ruud breezed through the second and took a 3-0 lead in the decider. The two-break advantage appeared insurmountable but Ruud won just four points in his next three service games, surrendering both breaks as Cerundolo roared towards the finish line.

Saving a break point as he served for the match, the 109th-ranked Cerundolo—who earned a career-high ranking of No. 79 in 2022—turned the tables one last time to score his second career Top 20 victory. The first came, ironically, in Madrid, where he upset 2024 finalist Félix Auger-Aliassime as a qualifier.

Standing between Cerundolo and his first ATP final since 2021 will be Peruvian qualifier Iganacio Buse, who is making a strong transition from the ATP Challenger Tour with a three-set victory over Roman Andres Burruchaga earlier in the afternoon.