Casper Ruud battled past Jack Draper 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 on Sunday to capture the Madrid Open title and his first Masters 1000 crown, marking a career milestone for the Norwegian.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist edged Draper in a grueling two-and-a-half-hour showdown at Manolo Santana Stadium, finally breaking his Masters final curse.
Draper, the 22-year-old Briton poised to rise to world No. 5 above Novak Djokovic, was chasing a second Masters title after his Indian Wells triumph but fell just short as Ruud held firm under pressure.
The match swung early when the 26-year-old Ruud, ranked No. 15, handed Draper a break with consecutive double faults – but the Norwegian quickly regrouped and turned the tide.
In the seventh game, Ruud increased his power and showed his quality, hinting at the comeback to follow.
Serving for the set, Draper was unable to finish off his opponent, who broke to level it at 5-5.
Ruud held and then broke again to take the first set as Draper mishit a forehand. It was the first set Draper had dropped in the tournament, and he shouted in frustration toward his team.
The outburst seemed to spark a response, as Draper produced his best tennis in a brilliant second set. He committed just one unforced error and let his rasping forehand do the damage.
Draper broke in the seventh game for a 4-3 lead, saved two break points in the eighth and then broke again to claim the second set on his third set point.
In the decider, Draper saved three break points to hold in a hard-fought third game that lasted more than 10 minutes.
Ruud broke in the fifth game and consolidated for a 4-2 lead, with the biggest title of his career in sight after 12 ATP titles at the 250 and 500 levels.
The tiring Draper saved a break point in the seventh game despite being docked a first serve for a time violation, and Ruud held for 5-3 to force Draper to serve to stay in the match.
Looking for the first clay-court title of his career, the 23-year-old Briton found a second wind and held to love, leaving Ruud to serve it out.
Despite never having won at this level, Ruud powered through his final service game, earning three match points and converting the first as Draper sent a return into the stands.