"You owe me"- Casper Ruud teases Hubert Hurkacz with dinner demand as Pole dethrones him at Estoril Open 4 days after getting "claycourt tips"

Casper Ruud has demanded a dinner treat from Hubert Hurkacz in exchange for clay court advice, coinciding with the Pole's recent victory in the Estoril Open 2024.

Ruud and Hurkacz were recently seen competing in the Estoril Open last week. While the Norwegian reached the semifinals in the ATP 250 event before losing to Pedro Martinez, Hurkacz put up a flawless performance and clinched the title. He outclassed Martinez in the final with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-4.

While Hurkacz thanked Ruud for sharing his insights on clay during their joint training session last week, the Norwegian cheekily demanded a dinner treat in exchange, as the Pole captured his clay court title four days later at the Estoril Open.

Their interaction on the social media platform 'X' can be seen below:

"Thanks @CasperRuud for some clay court tips," Hubert Hurkacz said.

"No worries my friend @HubertHurkacz ! You owe me dinner now btw," Casper Ruud replied.

Ruud and Hurkacz are among the top 10 players in the world at the moment. While Hurkacz opened his account in Estoril last week, Ruud came close to lifting a trophy twice this year. He reached the finals in the Los Cabos Open and the Mexican Open 2024 but was second best in both events.

The result in Estoril helped Hurkacz claim the No. 8 spot in the latest ATP rankings update. Ruud, on the contrary, dropped down two spots and is on the brink of exiting the top 10.

The Norwegian will be determined to chalk up a significant result on tour, with Alex De Minaur breathing down his neck. The Australian is only 110 points behind Ruud in 11th place on the ATP rankings.

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Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz set sights on Monte-Carlo Masters after Estoril Open

Casper Ruud at the French Open - Day Nine

Caper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz will now feature at the Monte-Carlo Masters 2024 this week. Both players have already warmed up on clay in the Estoril Open and will be eyeing a deep run at the Masters 1000 event.

Ruud and Hurkacz are included in the top half of the men's singles draw in Monte-Carlo. While the Norwegian will begin his campaign in the second round, Hurkacz will square off against Jack Draper in the first. He leads the head-to-head against Draper 2-1 but lost to the Brit most recently at the 2023 US Open.

Ruud and Hurkacz are also expected to face stiff competition from the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and defending champion Andrey Rublev. All three players are included in the top half of the men's draw in Monte-Carlo.

If the duo manage to navigate past the first two rounds, they could face each other in the third round. The head-to-head between Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz is poised at 1-1.