Number 4 Casper Ruud beat Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 in 1 hour and 39 minutes to reach the second round at the Japan Open in Tokyo. Ruud will face Australian qualifier Alexander Vukic.
Both players went on serve in the first set. Just eleven points were won on return in the first eleven games of the first set. Berrettini faced a set point at 30-40 in the 12th game, but he saved it. Ruud won three consecutive points from 1-1 to open up a 4-1 lead. The Norwegian player went up a second mini-break to earn four set points at 6-2 and converted his third opportunity to close out the tie-break 7-4.
Ruud won five consecutive games from 0-1 down to open up a 5-1 lead with two breaks in the third and fifth games. Berrettini held his serve at deuce in the seventh game, but Ruud rallied from 15-30 down in the eighth game to close out the second set 6-2.
