Casper Ruud registers first win over Rafael Nadal during Latin American tour by beating the Spaniard in Ecuador exhibition match

Casper Ruud has scored his first win against Rafael Nadal during their exhibition tour of Latin America. Ruud defeated the former World No. 1 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday at the Coliseo Rumiñahui in Quinto, Ecuador.

The pair previously faced each other in two exhibition matches in Argentina and Brazil, and Nadal came out on top both times with straight-sets victories.

Nadal and Ruud have also faced each other twice on the ATP tour this season. The first clash came in the Roland Garros final, where the Spanish veteran won 6-3, 6-3, 6-0. Their most recent meeting took place in the group stages of the ATP Finals in Turin, where Nadal once again won in straight sets (7-5, 7-5).

The next leg of the Latin American tour will see the two players compete in Bogota, Columbia, on November 29, before moving to Mexico on December 1.

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"I look forward to going to Australia and starting a new season" - Casper Ruud in confident mood ahead of 2023 season

With two Grand Slam finals appearances - at Roland Garros and the US Open - and also a career-high ranking of World No. 2, 2022 has been a fruitful season for Casper Ruud.

Post his Latin American exhibition tour, Ruud will begin preparations for the 2023 season and in particular the Australian Open. In a recent interview, the Norwegian stated that he was looking forward to competing in the best-of-five-set format once again next season.

"This year, I was not even able to play the Australian Open, so it's a big chance for me to get some sort of revenge down there and hopefully have a good result. I look forward to going to Australia and starting a new season. I look forward to playing best-of-five sets again. I think for the Australian Open I can say I'm already hungry to have a good result and let's see how next year plays out," he said.

"There will be a lot of points and results for me to defend [after Australia]. I hope I can do that and achieve even more. That's not going to be easy because this year I've done very well in certain tournaments, but I will try my best," he added.