Acapulco, March 2 (IANS): Casper Ruud showcased his tenacity and resilience as he battled his way into the 20th ATP final of his career, beating fellow Scandinavian Holger Rune 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a thrilling Mexican Open semifinal.

Ruud’s victory over the No. 7-ranked Rune was the 11th Top 10 win of his career, and his seventh such win on hard courts.

Despite Rune's strong start and early leads in the match, Ruud refused to back down, digging deep to claw his way back into contention. With the stakes high and momentum shifting back and forth, Ruud displayed nerves of steel and unwavering determination, rallying to secure a hard-fought victory after two hours and 23 minutes of intense battle.

The former No. 2 is now through to the first ATP 500 final of his career, and it completes a pretty nifty career set—he’s now reached at least one final at every single level of tour-level event (ATP 250, ATP 500, ATP Masters 1000, ATP Finals and Grand Slam). With all 10 of his career ATP titles coming at the ATP 250 level, Ruud now stands on the cusp of claiming the biggest title of his career, poised to seize the moment and etch his name in the annals of tennis history.

Ruud had a 5-1 head-to-head advantage over Rune going into the match; however, this was their first career meeting on hard courts. Rune appeared to be in control of the match from the start, taking the first set and setting up three break points at 1-all in the second.

Rune also held leads in the third set, even though he lost the second one. He broke to lead 3-1, got broken again to lead 4-2, and even led 40–15 in that game.

Nevertheless, Ruud persisted in battling back, and after two hours and twenty-three minutes, he won the final four games to end the match.

Awaiting Ruud in the final is none other than the formidable world no. 9 Alex de Minaur, a Top 10 player known for his speed and skill on the court. With a previous victory over Ruud at the NextGen ATP Finals, de Minaur presents a formidable challenge, though Ruud won their only previous meeting below tour-level at a Challenger on clay in 2018.

While Ruud will be going for his biggest title, De Minaur will be trying to tie his biggest title—he lifted his first ATP 500 trophy here last year.