"Everyone knows he is not Top-3 in the world, the rankings genuinely don't count this year" - Tennis fans react to Casper Ruud’s shock loss to Stan Wawrinka at Swiss Indoors Basel

World No. 194 Stan Wawrinka defeated World No. 3 Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets in the opening round of the 2022 Swiss Indoors Basel on Tuesday. It was one of the most awaited matches of the tournament, as Ruud was vying to become World No. 2 while Wawrinka was hoping to make an impression after making his comeback this year.

It was their first meeting on tour, and the Swiss pulled it off in his favor to register a shock win in front of his home crowd. Though Ruud was the heavy favorite given his strong season, Wawrinka wrapped up the contest in one hour and 18 minutes.

Tennis fans on social media began to doubt Casper Ruud's ranking in light of his display, as this was his third subpar performance, following recent losses in the quarterfinals of the Korea Open and the first round of the Japan Open.

One fan went as far as to say that he is not Top-3 material, lamenting that the rankings have been skewed this year as a result of the ATP not allowing ranking points at Wimbledon and messing up the positions.

"So Casper Ruud had a chance to move up to world no 2 but has just lost to world ranked 194 Wawrinka who was coming off 3 straight losses. Nothing personal against Ruud, but everyone in Tennis knows he is not Top 3 in the world, the rankings genuinely don't count this year”, one user tweeted.

"Casper Ruud is the worst world number 2 in tennis hsitory", one user tweeted.

One user even linked Casper Ruud’s loss to his recent statement on K-Pop South Korean boy band BTS.

“Casper lost all his matches after he said he didn’t know BTS”, he wrote.

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

Speaking in his post-match interview, Wawrinka was chuffed with his performance on the night and hoped he could repeat it during his remaining stay in the tournament.

"I'm getting old, that's for sure. I had to fight the last two years with the injury, surgery. Coming back was not easy. I was struggling really to get back in shape physically and tennis-wise. So to be able to produce that tonight here in Switzerland is of course something really special and hopefully I can keep playing well," said Wawrinka.

Stan Wawrinka takes on Brandon Nakashima in the second round of Swiss Indoors Basel after his won over Casper Ruud

Stan Wawrinka at the Fever-Tree Championships

Following his win over Casper Ruud, Stan Wawrinka will face Brandon Nakashima to move forward in Basel. Nakashima defeated David Goffin 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the first round to set up a fight against the three-time Grand Slam champion in the second round.

The head-to-head stands at 0-0, as the upcoming match will be their first meeting on the ATP Tour. A victory against the American would pit Wawrinka against either Andy Murray or sixth seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarterfinals.

Also Check Out: Casper Ruud Net Worth