Casper Ruud won his first title of the year on Sunday as he defeated Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) in the final of the clay-court tournament in Estoril.
The fifth-ranked Norwegian reeled off five straight games in the opening set but was pushed much harder in the second by Kecmanovic, who also reached the doubles final this week.
Ruud's title was the 10th of his career, all but one of which have come on clay.
The moment @CasperRuud98 claimed his 10th tour-level title ??
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 9, 2023
He takes out Kecmanovic 6-2 7-6(3).@EstorilOpen | #EstorilOpen pic.twitter.com/ouU1W9jbSP
A runner-up to Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros last year, Ruud had failed to win more than one match at any of his six previous tournaments this season.
The 24-year-old will climb one spot to fourth in the rankings on Monday.