Ruud beats Cerundolo in straight sets to reach Madrid Open title showdown, Sabalenka advances

Casper Ruud squeezed into the 25th tour-level final of his career with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo at the Madrid Open on Friday.

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The Norwegian saved a whopping 15 of 18 break points faced during the one-hour 54-minute clash to reach a third Masters 1000 final, and first since Monte Carlo last year.

Overcoming early chest discomfort and in the face of a rowdy pro-Argentinian crowd, Ruud was proud of how he handled the adversity.

"There's a lot of things to deal with as a player. It's a lot of fun, of course, travelling the world and living this life is like a dream, don't get me wrong. But of course you have struggles all along, almost every single week you're dealing with some kind of minor pain or fatigue or stress somehow," said the 26-year-old Ruud.

Ruud had to save four break points before he held serve in the opening game.

At the 2-1 changeover, the Norwegian asked for a medical timeout and told the trainer he felt a sharp pain in his chest while warming up with the medicine ball before the match, and it extended all the way to his back.

Ruud received treatment and took painkillers before stepping back on court.