De Minaur, coming off a season that saw him qualify for his second Nitto ATP Finals, tossed in eight double faults along the way against the world No. 12.
“You saw in the beginning he was struggling with his serve, so I got a free break and just built from there,” commented Ruud.
Reflected De Minaur later in press, “I struggled a little bit playing at night. A little bit heavier. It felt like I wasn’t able to get that feeling on my serve of kicking it in, which again, in the past I’ve had no problem doing.
“He normally likes to stay in rallies a little bit longer. Today he was going for all his shots, and they were landing in. He deserved to win.”
