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Iga Swiatek praised Casper Ruud for his fantastic tweener at the Swiss Indoors Basel as the latter believed he was lucky to have played the shot to perfection.
Ruud defeated Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik on Wednesday, October 25, to advance to the second round in Basel, Switzerland. It was a straight-set victory for the Norwegian as his opponent committed a staggering 12 double faults during the match.
The opening set began on a competitive note with both players saving three out of four break points each to send the set into a tiebreak. Ruud, however, secured the set as Bublik faltered to land to one cross-court backhand out of the bounds on the set point.
The second set turned out to be a one-sided affair as Ruud raced to a 7-6(5), 6-2 victory. He set the tone right from the second set's first rally as he produced a stunning between-the-legs lob with his back turned on Bublik.
Casper Ruud later took to X (formerly Twitter) and suggested that given the on-court gamble paid off, he might as well try his luck in the lottery.
"Might as well play the lottery tonight."
Iga Swiatek, too, wasn't able to hold back her emotions after watching the 24-year-old bamboozle Bublik. She reacted with two fire emojis commenting on Ruud's tweet to suggest the shot was lit.
Ruud will next take on Swiss prodigy Dominic Stricker for a place in the quarterfinals whereas Swiatek readies herself for the WTA Finals. The women's year-end championship is scheduled to begin on Sunday, October 29, in Cancun, Mexico.
"Iga Swiatek was definitely the best women's player last year" - Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud showered praise on Iga Swiatek for her dominant show on the women's circuit in the 2022 season.
“She is very solid and determined. And she's very athletic, I think one of the most athletic players there are, and she moves great,” said Ruud in January this year. (via Eurosport)
"I just think she's a fun player to watch. She was definitely the best women's player last year,” Ruud added.
Iga Swiatek won a total of eight titles, including two at Majors, last year. She bagged her first trophy in February 2022 at the Qatar Open and Indian Wells Open the following month. She then lifted two more trophies in April at the Miami Open and Stuttgart Open.
The Pole lifted the Italian Open trophy before winning the French Open and US Open. Her last title came at the San Diego Open in October.
