Emil Ruusuvuore’s match against Belgium’s Joris De Loore in the opening round of the Tali ATP challenger tournament drew a crowd of spectators to the Tali tennis hall.
SpongeBob Forsberg,
Bettina Törnvall
Emil Ruusuvuori (ATP-69) defeated Belgium Joris De Looren (ATP-142) 4–6, 6–0, 6–1 in the singles first round of the Tali ATP challenger tournament.
The start of the match was difficult for Ruusuvuori, who ranked second in the tournament. The Belgian cleared several break balls and succeeded in the break himself. At the beginning of the second period, the Finn broke De Loore’s pass and took a 2–0 lead. Rusuvuori certainly continued and took the set cleanly 6–0. In the end, Ruusuvuori won the match with clear numbers.
Ruusuvuori said that the weak start was due to a lack of feeling for the game.
– When there are no matches, routines disappear. Only when you haven’t played do you understand the importance of training and playing, to stay in rhythm, Ruusuvuori told Urheilu.
Finland’s top player had a month’s break after the final tournament of the top 16 countries of the Davis Cup played in Croatia. He played five ATP matches in October before the Tali tournament and has suffered from illnesses and injuries.
Help from the home crowd in a tight spot
This season, Ruusuvuori reached the quarterfinals of the Masters tournament in Miami for the first time in his career and was at his best in the men’s world ranking at number 37. A full house had gathered to watch the Finn’s performances: slightly more than 1,300 spectators.
Ruusuvuori said that the support of the home crowd helps in a difficult place.
If you play abroad and there is not a lot of audience, yes it is more difficult. Here you could get power from the audience. From the second set on, it was a little easier to be on the court, I was able to enjoy myself and turn it into positive energy.
In Croatia, Finland historically advanced to the final stage of the top eight countries. According to Ruusuvuori, playing against the best in the Davis Cup is a great thing, but he keeps his eyes firmly on the Tali tournament.
– It will be a super week, but now there is enough to do so that I can be there in the best shape. I have to push hard to be ready to challenge the world’s best players there.
The Finnish player next faces Slovakia on Thursday by Alex Molcan (ATP-118).
– Let’s try to continue where we left off, improve and maintain the attitude. There is a tougher opponent again. There is a lot to do, but it is still necessary to continue.
Finns are also participating in the main series of the Tali tournament Otto Virtanenwho starts his job on Wednesday in Kazakhstan Denis Yevshev against.