Casper Ruud was delighted after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the Barcelona Open. The Norwegian registered a 7-5, 6-3 victory to lift the trophy at the clay-court ATP 500.

Ruud was beaten by Tsitsipas in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters and he was able to avenge that loss. This was the first ATP Tour level trophy of the season for Ruud as he had a fine week in Barcelona.

In fact, the 25-year-old from Oslo had been to seven previous finals above ATP 250 level without winning a trophy and thus it was a crucial win for him against the Greek.

“Honestly, this has been worth the wait,” said Ruud, who had been to seven previous finals above ATP 250 level without winning a trophy. “A lot of finals that I’ve lost have been tough, a bit disappointing, of course. Any time you reach a final, it’s nonetheless a good week, so you can’t be too hard on yourself, but this one has been a long time coming.

“I’m super happy to do it here in Barcelona in front of a packed stadium and on Rafa Nadal Court. It’s special to me because I looked up to him all my childhood, came here myself as a 13-year-old boy to watch him and the others play here. It’s a great feeling.”

Ruud revealed how his changed tactics helped him get a positive result against Tsitsipas.

“Just to kind of [bring] it to him a little bit more than last week,” said Ruud when asked what he had done against Tsitsipas in Barcelona compared to Monte-Carlo. “In the final in Monte-Carlo I was always on the back foot, too far behind, and he had too much time to control the game.”

Ruud was broken early by Tsitsipas but he was able to get back into the contest by getting his break back.