The last time a Finnish tennis player appeared in a singles match was in the quarterfinals of the Masters tournament in 2013.
In tennis Emil Ruusuvuoren (ATP-54) great streak in Miami’s hot and fast conditions continued in the ATP Masters tournament late on Tuesday. The fourth victory of the tournament came from a good friend and competition partner From Botic van de Zandschulp (ATP-32) strictly in three sets with numbers 4–6, 6–4, 7–5.
– It was quite a twist, I was pretty much in the sails for a race and a half, Ruusuvuori commented
The Dutch player was already a set and a break ahead when Ruusuvuore’s streak started at 4–6, 1–3. Van de Zandschulp still led the second set with a break 4–3 before the Finn grabbed three games in a row to force the decision into the third set.
In the decisive set, Ruusuvuori accelerated to a 3–0 lead and was able to score the match win in a 5–3 situation, but the Dutchman still drew level. In the end, however, Ruusuvuori took the necessary break and won the set 7–5.
– I got a second chance when I got two breaks back. My game opened up there. I was really aggressive for almost the last round and a half. It was quite a battle. It was really hot and humid conditions. It required everything that came off, Ruusuvuori said.
– Yes, there was a little sigh when I finally won the match. Yes, that was quite a test.
The match lasted two hours and 43 minutes. The Finn now leads the matches between the two with wins of 2–1.
Small margins on front
The last time a Finn appeared in singles at this level, when Jarkko Nieminen reached the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters in 2013 almost 10 years ago.
Nieminen was in the quarterfinals four times in his career. Three of them came in 2006.
In the semifinals, Ruusuvuori will meet a well-rounded Italian ranked 11th in the world Jannik Sinnerto whom Ruusuvuori has lost all four previous clashes.
The upcoming match is already the third meeting between the players in Miami. Last year, in the second round, Sinner cleared Ruusuvuore’s three match points in a 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(8) victory, and in the 2021 fourth round, the scores were 6–3, 6–2.
Sinner is a very familiar player to the Finnish ace.
– We trained together in Alicante. We know each other well and our teams know each other well. He is a really nice guy and a good tennis player. We both hit the ball well and hard. It will be a fun match. You have to be alert, because small margins are decisive, Ruusuvuori predicts.
The first quarter-final place of his career in the Masters tournament is bringing Ruusuvuori a new record ranking for the Finnish player, as he is currently ranked 37th in the live ranking.
Rusuvuorta was interviewed Helen Scott-Smith.