2022 Japan Open: Casper Ruud crashes out; Borna Coric advances
Jaume Munar pulled a major upset as he beat the number one seed Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3 in R32 of the Japan Open on Tuesday. The 25-year-old pocketed his maiden Top 10 win on hard court. Munar will face fellow countryman Pedro Martinez in R16 on Wednesday. Meanwhile, number nine seed Borna Coric breezed past Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets. Here's more.
Key stats from the match
Both Munar and Ruud fired two aces each. Ruud conceded two double faults to the Spaniard's five. Munar, however, converted four of his seven break points. He won 69 points in total, including 41 from serves. Also, it was Munar's maiden win over Ruud, and he now enjoys a 1-2 win-loss record, having lost in 2022 Gstaad (quarter-finals) and 2018 Bastad (R32).
Ruud reached the 2022 US Open, French Open finals
Ruud wound up as the runner-up in the men's singles category at the US Open. The Norwegian failed to overcome teen sensation, Carlos Alcaraz, who fetched his maiden Grand Slam title. He also rallied into the French Open final, only to lose to the King of Clay Rafael Nadal in three sets (6-3, 6-3, 6-0). Overall, he enjoys a 27-16 win-loss record across Slams.
Ruud has 47-17 win-loss record in 2022
Prior to the Japan Open, Ruud tasted a quarter-final exit against Yoshihito Nishioka (2-6, 6-3, 2-6) in Korea Open. He owns a 47-17 win-loss record on the ATP Tour this year. Ruud is a nine-time ATP titlist, with the last win in Gstaad earlier this year. He was also a part of Team Europe which lost to Team World (8-13) in the Laver Cup.
Coric garners maiden win in Tokyo
Coric snapped his two-match losing streak in Tokyo with a comprehensive 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Kokkinakis. As per ATP, the Croatian had lost to home favorite Kei Nishikori (2015) and Taro Daniel (2019) in his previous two Tokyo appearances, both in three sets. The 2022 Cincinnati Open winner will face Brandon Nakashima, who recently won his maiden ATP Tour title in San Diego.
