Casper Ruud finally defeated Novak Djokovic at the sixth attempt on Saturday, setting up a Monte Carlo Masters title showdown with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Norwegian eighth seed Ruud, who had been swept off court by the world No. 1 in a demoralizing French Open final loss last year, came through 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in his semi-final when Djokovic double-faulted after saving two match points.
An inspired Tsitsipas handed world No. 2 Jannik Sinner just his second loss of the season as the two-time champion Greek booked his place in yesterday’s final, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Photo: AFP
“I’m super-happy, this is a day I will remember for a really long time,” said Ruud who had never taken a set off Djokovic in their five previous meetings. “I’ve never beaten Novak and I’ve never beaten a world No. 1. I’m still in a little bit of shock.”
Djokovic was competing in his first semi-final in Monte Carlo since he lifted his second title in 2015. He was hoping to reach a 59th Masters final.
“Congratulations to Casper. He played really good, especially in the beginning of the first and third set,” the 36-year-old top seed said. “Of course I’m disappointed now, to lose a match like this ... it was a close one.”
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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