Ruud beats Thompson for tour
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Casper Ruud defeated Jordan Thompson in straight sets to earn his season-leading 26th win and secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open on Thursday.
The third-seeded Norwegian won 6-1, 6-4 to move one victory ahead of Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner in 2024.
Ruud, ranked No. 6, is trying to reach his fourth final this year, having lost in Los Cabos, Acapulco and Monte Carlo.
He will next face 40th-ranked Italian Matteo Arnaldi, who defeated Marco Trungelliti 6-3, 6-0 at the clay-court tournament.
Fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas, the seventh-ranked Greek who beat Ruud on Sunday to win the Monte Carlo title, reached the last eight with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Roberto Carballes Baena.
“There were no easy points coming my way,” Tsitsipas said. “I’m happy that I delivered and came up with some great tennis.”