Casper Ruud captured his third title on clay in as many weeks after defeating Pedro Martinez 6-1 4-6 6-3 in the Generali Open final on Saturday.

The world number 14 continued his blistering form having also landed the Swedish Open and Swiss Open earlier this month.

The Norwegian has now won each of his last 11 matches since defeat by Jordan Thompson in the opening round at Wimbledon.

Ruud – also a winner at the Geneva Open in May – dominated the opening set against world number 97 Martinez, who was appearing in his first ATP final.

The Spaniard defeated second seed Roberto Bautista Agut on the way to reaching the showpiece, and responded well by taking a close second set.

Nevertheless, Ruud broke to take control of the decider, before closing out victory for a fourth ATP title of the season – all of which have come on clay.

Top seed Casper Ruud is through to his third successive ATP final after defeating Arthur Rinderknech at the Generali Open.

The world number 14 has been in incredible form on clay, having captured the Swedish Open and Swiss Open titles.

Ruud, who also landed the Geneva Open crown in May, has now won his last 11 matches, but was made to work hard for a 6-3 7-6 (9-7) victory over world number 91 Rinderknech in Kitzbuhel.

The Norwegian was forced to come from behind and defeat Sweden’s Mikael Ymer on Thursday, saving a match point in the process, and a single break swung a close opening set in his favour.

Fresh from defeating third seed Filip Krajinovic in the last eight, Rinderknech refused to lie down and took the second to a tie-break.

The big-serving Frenchman fired down 10 aces, but Ruud held his nerve to avoid a decider and prevail, saving a match point as he came from a mini-break down to extend his winning run.

The 22-year-old will play Pedro Martinez in the final after the Spaniard came from behind to beat Germany’s Daniel Altmeier 4-6 6-3 6-3.

Spaniard Martinez won 70 per cent of points behind his first serve and broke four times to move into the championship match.

Casper Ruud survived a scare as he progressed to the Generali Open semi-finals with a 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 victory over Mikael Ymer.

World number 14 Ruud is targeting a third successive ATP title, having also captured the Swedish Open and Swiss Open earlier this month.

It has been a timely return to form for the Norwegian, who suffered a shock defeat to Australia's Jordan Thompson at Wimbledon at the end of June.

Although he was in danger of seeing his nine-match winning streak come to an end in Kitzbuhel, after losing the opening set against Swedish opponent Ymer.

Ruud, who also triumphed at the Geneva Open in May, was then taken to a tie-break in the second ser by the world number 99, but held his nerve to tee up a decider.

It was one-way traffic from there with the 22-year-old dominating play to set up a last-four clash with Arthur Rinderknech, who hit five aces as he overcame third seed Filip Krajinovic 6-4 6-1.

Meanwhile, Daniel Altmaier's place in the semi-finals was secured with a 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 win over Gianluca Mager.

The world number 135, who reached the fourth round of last year's French Open, will play Pedro Martinez in the semi-finals after the Spaniard saw off Jozef Kovalik 6-2 6-2.

World number 16 Roberto Bautista Agut crashed out in the second round as the other favourites for the Generali Open battled through.

Bautista Agut lost the first set to Spanish compatriot Pablo Martinez in Kitzbuhel, Austria, and could not complete a comeback despite forcing a decider as he lost 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 7-5.

Top seed Casper Ruud, who won last week in Gstaad to claim his third ATP Tour crown of 2021 and fourth in total, came from 4-2 down in the first set to win 7-5 5-7 6-4 against Mario Vilella Martinez.

Third seed Filip Krajinovic survived a second-set scare to beat Carlos Taberner 6-3 2-6 6-4.

Arthur Rinderknech, who dispatched of fifth seed Federico Delbonis on Tuesday, awaits Krajinovic in the next round.

The other clash on Wednesday saw Sweden's Mikael Ymer cruise past home favourite Alexander Erler 6-2 6-3 to secure a quarter-final berth.

Ymer will now face the thankless task of challenging 22-year-old Ruud for a spot in the semi-finals.

Casper Ruud secured back-to-back titles by beating Hugo Gaston in straight sets to be crowned Swiss Open Gstaad champion on Sunday.

Ruud won the Nordea Open last weekend and added a fourth ATP Tour title of his career with a 6-3 6-2 defeat of Frenchman Gaston.

The Norwegian took his tally of tournament victories on clay this year to three, having also won the Geneva Open in May, and the 22-year-old will rise to ninth spot in the ATP Race To Turin on Monday.

Ruud saved nine of the 10 break points earned by first-time ATP Tour finalist Gaston, who only won 51 per cent of points behind his first serve.

Gaston, who had never been beyond the second round at an ATP Tour event before this week, was broken twice in each set as the 20-year-old was unable to halt Ruud's brilliant run on clay.

Left-hander Gaston broke straight back after Ruud went 3-1 up in the opening set but failed to back that up with a hold.

Ruud had as many as 16 break-point opportunities but got the job done in an hour and 34 minutes.

Hugo Gaston is one win away from securing his maiden ATP Tour title, but he must overcome in-form Casper Ruud at the Swiss Open Gstaad.

Gaston, ranked 155th in the world, booked his place in his first tour-level final with a 3-6 6-3 6-3 victory over Laslo Djere of Serbia on Saturday.

The 20-year-old had never advanced past the second round at an ATP Tour event before this week. He has now won three matches in a row in a third set.

"I tried to take more time with my game," Gaston said. "I made a lot of mistakes in the first set, so I tried to change my game. My serve was better in the second and third set.

"I am really happy to be in the final. It is going to be a good match, but I will try to enjoy [this] moment."

Ruud, meanwhile, enjoyed a rather more straightforward procession in his semi-final, with world number 249 Vit Kopriva little match for the 22-year-old Norwegian.

The world number 14 needed just 74 minutes to win 6-3 6-0, reaching his second final in as many weeks following his success in Bastad.

Ruud has won 23 clay-court matches already in 2021 and is in the hunt for his fourth career title.

Top seed Denis Shapovalov's Swiss Open Gstaad campaign came to an abrupt end as Vit Kopriva provided a second-round shock to eliminate the Wimbledon semi-finalist.

The world number 10, who has recently been praised by both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, took the first set 6-2 with ease before Kopriva, making his ATP Tour debut this week, emphatically fought back 6-3 6-2 to secure a memorable comeback victory.

Number three seed Casper Ruud battled past Dennis Novak 6-4 7-6 (7-5), while Benoit Paire, who only had two ATP wins in 2021 before the Hamburg European Open last week, was 6-4 to the good before Tallon Griekspoor was forced to retire due to injury.

Ruud, who has already won two ATP events in 2021 and three in his career, will now meet sixth seed Paire in the quarter-final stage.

But eighth seed Feliciano Lopez did not enjoy similar success as the world number 96 Mikael Ymer fought past the Spaniard to win 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 and set-up a quarter-final clash with Kopriva.

At the Umag Open in Croatia, third seed Filip Krajinovic breezed past Radu Albot to record a 6-4 6-2 win.

Krajinovic's countryman and number two ranked player Dusan Lajovic also went through with a 7-5 6-4 win against Bernabe Zapata Miralles.

Casper Ruud won his third ATP Tour title on Sunday thanks to a straightforward win over Federico Coria in the Nordea Open final.

The Norwegian needed just under 90 minutes to see off Coria, who was competing in his maiden tour-level final, getting the job done to win 6-3 6-3.

Ruud's electric start set the tone for the contest, as he raced into a 4-0 lead thanks to successive breaks – although Coria broke back to make it 4-1, his opponent's wobble was only brief.

Coria ensured the match was a little tighter initially in the second set, but Ruud's class showed as he rattled off three breaks on the trot and eventually converted his fifth match point in front of a joyous support.

"It was an incredible week, maybe the best week of my life," Ruud said after sealing the title without losing a single set.

"It's an incredible feeling playing here in Bastad with the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish support. There is nothing like that home crowd feeling.

"To win here means a lot. You get a little extra nervous as the No. 1 seed. Me and my father [former player Christian Ruud] have been joking about when I am going to beat him at this and this, and now I think I have beaten him in everything!

"The Ruud family can finally bring the trophy home to Norway. It is a special feeling having him here with me."

Filip Krajinovic will take on Pablo Carreno Busta in the Hamburg European Open final on Sunday.

A memorable week for Krajinovic continued as he saw off fellow Serbian Laslo Djere 6-4 6-2 in his semi-final.

Sixth seed Krajinovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals and ensured he followed up on that surprise victory with a dominant display against Djere on Saturday.

The victor committed only seven unforced errors in the match, while conceding just two break points in the contest.

Second seed Carreno Busta has not dropped a set all week and kept that run going with a 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 win over Federico Delbonis.

Carreno Busta needed just under two hours to see off a battling Delbonis, with neither player offering up a single break point in a first set that went the distance.

The Spaniard won five straight points to take the tie-break and continued that momentum into the second set when he broke Delbonis twice.

Neither Carreno Busta nor Krajinovic has ever won a tournament at ATP 500 level or above.

Carreno Busta has five career titles, but all of those are at ATP 250 level, losing to Dominic Thiem in his only showpiece appearance at this level at the Rio Open back in 2017.

Krajinovic, meanwhile, has lost all three of the career finals he has reached.

"I enjoy playing here, I feel comfortable here," Carreno Busta said. "It is my most important match this year on Sunday - I need to be really focused until the end.

"[Delbonis] is a really tough player and my level was very good. I probably played better in the second set, but I continued fighting all the time."

At the Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden, top seed Casper Ruud was comfortable as he defeated Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1 6-4 to earn a place in the final.

Ruud needed just 79 minutes to do the job, breaking Carballes Baena on five occasions. 

He has only played two matches – both comfortable wins – to reach the final after a walkover against Henri Laaksonen in the quarters.

Rising star Ruud will bid for his second ATP title of the year and the third of his career against Federico Coria on Sunday.

Coria also had a comfortable last-four tie, seeing off Germany's Yannick Hanfmann 6-2 6 -1, with the win meaning the 29-year-old reached his maiden career tour final.

"I am very happy - it is my first final," said world number 77 Coria, who beat second seed Cristian Garin in the last eight.

"I played the best tennis of my life in this match. It is amazing here in Bastad, it is beautiful."

Casper Ruud fed off the growing expectation that surrounds him as he took a convincing first step in the Nordea Open.

The 22-year-old Norwegian has rocketed from outside the top 50 to 16th currently in the world rankings in just 18 months, and he is the top seed this week in Sweden.

Such a status is all rather novel for Ruud, but he breezed to a 6-0 6-2 win over 18-year-old Danish wildcard Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune on Thursday.

That carried him through to a quarter-final meeting with Swiss player Henri Laaksonen.

Ruud is back on clay this week, having enjoyed great success on the surface already this season, reaching semi-finals of the Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Monte Carlo, while also winning a title in Geneva.

A first-round exit on the Wimbledon grass followed those positive results, so another event on clay comes as a boost.

"It is a surface I have had the most success of my career, it is great to be back here in Bastad," Ruud said after crushing Rune's hopes.

"There is a bit of extra pressure [being the top seed]. In a match like this against a fellow Scandinavian younger player, it is even more."

He added, quoted by the ATP website: "I think I was very professional in my mindset today. I played a match without any errors really from the first to the last point.

"It is a nice feeling being the top seed but also pressure. I felt great crowd support, it is nice to feel that energy."

Qualifier Laaksonen beat Elias Ymer 6-2 7-5, while third seed Fabio Fognini was bounced out of the tournament, losing 6-3 1-6 6-4 to Spain's world number 97 Roberto Carballes Baena, who will tackle Slovakian Gombos in the last-eight stage on Friday.

At the Hamburg European Open, Pablo Carreno Busta justified his standing as second seed with a 7-5 6-3 win over fellow Spaniard Carlos Taberner to reach the quarter-finals.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is the top seed this week at the tournament in Germany and won through to the last eight on Wednesday.

Others to move through the rounds in Hamburg on Thursday included Dusan Lajovic and Federico Delbonis, the latter advancing with a handy 6-3 7-6 (7-4) win over fourth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

Feliciano Lopez reached the milestone of 500 ATP Tour wins with a comeback victory over Karen Khachanov at the Mallorca Championships.

Lopez, who turns 40 in September, prevailed 4-6 6-2 6-4 against the sixth seed.

He is the 10th active player to reach 500 wins, after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Richard Gasquet, Fernando Verdasco, Marin Cilic, Stan Wawrinka and Tommy Robredo.

"More than the 500 wins, the important thing to me is the chance to keep playing in these kinds of tournaments and to keep being competitive," Lopez told ATPTour.com.

"I didn’t expect to be able to play at the level I am on the ATP Tour at 40 years of age, which I will be in September."

Spanish veteran Lopez would have expected to be taking on Dominic Thiem next, but the world number five retired due to a wrist injury when 5-2 to the good in the opening set against Adrian Mannarino.

"It's nice for me to be in the quarter-finals, but winning this way is not so cool. I really like Dominic, he's such a nice guy and I hope he will be feeling better soon," Mannarino said. "I hope it is not so serious, especially right before Wimbledon."

Elsewhere on the Balearic island, top seed Daniil Medvedev breezed past Corentin Moutet 6-4 6-2, while Casper Ruud defeated Tennys Sandgren in straight sets.

At the Viking International in Eastbourne, there were mixed fortunes for Lopez's countrymen Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

Fokina, seeded sixth, saw off Mikael Ymer 7-5 6-1, but number seven seed Ramos-Vinolas fell 6-4 6-3 to Emil Ruusuvuori.

Alexander Bublik defeated fellow Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin is straight sets, while Jo-Wilfred Tsonga went down in similar fashion against Egor Gerasimov.

Fifth seed Casper Ruud secured his place in the last 16 of the Mallorca Championships with a straight sets win over Gilles Simon on Monday.

The 22-year-old claimed a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) victory to set up a meeting with Tennys Sandgren in the next round.

Following Ruud onto Centre Court, the American beat Spain's Jaume Munar 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 in just over two hours.

Sixth seed Karen Khachanov is also safely through, although he surrendered a set in beating French qualifier Lucas Pouille 7-6 (9-7) 3-6 6-4.

But Dusan Lajovic, seeded eighth, was not quite as fortunate.

Lajovic, ranked 41st in the world, was beaten 6-4 7-6 (7-2) by Slovakian qualifier Lukas Klein (ranked 256).

Feliciano Lopez came out on top of battle of Spaniards in the round of 32, beating Nicola Kuhn 6-1 7-6 (7-4).

Their compatriot Roberto Carballes Baena is in with a chance of joining them on Tuesday after seeing his clash with Sam Querrey paused due to light with both players having taken a set.

Elsewhere, Corentin Moutet beat Lloyd Harris to set up a meeting with top seed Daniil Medvedev, while Jiri Vesely and Stefano Travaglia also progressed.

Monday's other scheduled ATP event in Eastbourne saw play cancelled due to rain, with the scheduled match between Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Egor Gerasimov pushed back as a result.

Rising star Casper Ruud continued his impressive 2021 with a straight-sets win over Denis Shapovalov in the Geneva Open final to win his second career title.

The world number 21 prevailed 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in the first top-level meeting between the two players to add to the Argentina Open crown won – also on clay – in February 2020.

Ruud did not face a single break point in the match, which lasted an hour and 40 minutes, and needed only one break conversion himself to see off second seed Shapovalov.

"It's tough to find all the words," said Ruud, who has a 15-4 record on clay this year. 

"It was such an amazing week here in Geneva. I was always looking forward to coming to this tournament.

"I watched it on TV for many years when I was younger and it always seemed like a nice place, so I guess I know why I wanted to come here.

"It's been going well and this week has been unbelievable for me."

Looking to lay down a marker ahead of the upcoming French Open, where he reached the third round last year, third seed Ruud took little time to get going against Shapovalov.

However, the first set went the way of the serve to set up a tie-break, which the Norwegian eventually took with his fifth set point after Shapovalov won four points in a row.

Shapovalov was competing in his third tour-level final after winning the Stockholm Open and losing in the Paris Masters final in 2019, but he struggled to break his opponent.

Ruud earned a break in the fifth game of the second set and saw the job through to keep his momentum going ahead of the second grand slam of the year.

Asked about his aims for Roland Garros, Ruud said: "Well, it's the toughest clay court tournament of the year.

"This season I am playing well on the clay and I'm looking forward to Paris. I hope I can make the second week, that's all I can say.

"If I'm in the second week I will be very happy of course."

Stefanos Tsitsipas insists it must be purely business when he tackles Italian teenager and fellow tennis artisan Lorenzo Musetti in the Lyon Open semi-finals.

Ahead of a tilt at the French Open, for which he is among the favourites, world number five Tsitsipas has been tuning up his game at this week's ATP 250 tournament.

The Greek star was sharp in posting a 6-3 6-4 win over Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka, and 19-year-old Italian Musetti awaits him on Saturday.

Tsitsipas dropped just four games when he crushed Musetti in an Acapulco semi-final in March, but he senses more of a threat this time from the exciting youngster.

"We played in different conditions. Acapulco was a hardcourt match and with altitude," said Tsitsipas, speaking on Amazon Prime. "The conditions here are different. He's someone who enjoys playing on clay.

"We share a similar game style I think with a one-handed backhand, which is beautiful to see, but tomorrow it's going to be serious business I knew he can play good on this surface. I know he can elevate his game, so it's important for me to be in the semi-finals."

Musetti overcame Slovenian Aljaz Bedene 6-3 7-6 (7-2) in their quarter-final, scrambling through a chaotic second set in which he trailed 5-2 at one stage but then reeled off four straight games, only to fail to serve out.

Thankfully for the youngster, he pulled through the tie-break.

"It was a crazy end," said Musetti. "I was 6-5 up, and at 30-30 played a really bad volley and hit an underarm serve. Sometimes I go out of my mind. I am really proud of myself as I was 2-5 down in the second set and I stayed focused. I tried to play each point at my best."

Russian Karen Khachanov marked his 25th birthday with a 6-1 7-6 (7-3) win over Frenchman Richard Gasquet, veteran doyen of the single-handed backhand.

Khachanov faced a wait to learn who he must face in the semi-finals, however, with Cameron Norrie and Arthur Rinderknech level at one set all overnight, after rain forced an early end to play.

At the Geneva Open, Norway's Casper Ruud will tackle Canadian Denis Shapovalov in Saturday's final.

Ruud saw off Spaniard Pablo Andujar 6-3 6-2, while Shapovalov earned a 6-4 7-5 win against Uruguayan qualifier Pablo Cuevas.

Lyon Open top seed Dominic Thiem was stunned in straight sets by Cameron Norrie in the last 16 on Thursday for the "biggest win" of the Briton's career.

Thiem was handed a bye to this stage and fell at the first hurdle on a day of upsets, the world number four sending down four double faults and losing serve three times as he lost 6-3 6-2.

Norrie now has 10 victories on clay in 2021, compared to seven before this year, and will face qualifier Arthur Rinderknech – a surprise 6-7(7) 6-2 7-5 winner against Jannik Sinner – in the quarters.

"I'm so pleased to win. It's the biggest win of my career and my highest-ranked win," Norrie, who had never previously beaten a top-five opponent, said in his on-court interview. 

"It's such a beautiful day in Lyon. I couldn't be happier to get the win today and to get another match on the clay before Roland Garros."

Third seed Diego Schwartzman also exited the competition on Thursday with a 6-3 7-5 defeat to Richard Gasquet, who eased over the line despite letting two match points slip.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is now the strong favourite to triumph in France after starting his campaign with a convincing 6-1 6-4 victory over Tommy Paul.

Yoshihito Nishioka upset Gael Monfils 4-6 6-3 7-6(2) in an impressive comeback victory and now awaits Tsitsipas in the last eight.

At the Geneva Open, rising star Casper Ruud kept his momentum going with a 2-6 6-1 6-4 win over Dominik Koepfer to make it 12-4 on clay this season.

Ruud recovered from a sloppy first set by holding his serve in the following two sets to reach his fourth successive clay court semi-final on the ATP Tour.

Next up for the third seed is a meeting with Pablo Andujar, who beat youngster Dominic Stephan Stricker 4-6 6-4 6-4.

Elsewhere, Laslo Djere overcame Fabio Fognini 6-3 6-7(2) 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals and will face Denis Shapovalov later on Thursday after the Canadian recovered from a set down to beat Marco Cecchinato 6-7 7-5 6-1.

The winner of that match will meet Pablo Cuevas, the Uruguayan having ended Grigor Dimitrov's run with a battling 7-6 6-3 win.