Norwegian Casper Ruud, seeded 20th, defeated American Learner Tien, seeded 14th, in a round of 32 match at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The hardcourt contest in Shanghai finished 6-4 7-6 in straight sets. The win sent Ruud through to the round of 16 at the ATP Masters 1000 event, which carries a prize fund of $11.2 million.
Ruud takes the first set, second goes to a tiebreak at 7-6
Ruud won the first set 6-4. The second went all the way to 7-6, with Ruud ultimately closing out both the set and the match. Tien lost both sets by the narrowest of margins: 4-6 and 6-7.
The Norwegian's run in Shanghai has followed a similar pattern throughout the tournament. In the first round he beat Yunchaokete Bu 6-1 7-6, with the second set again finishing 7-6. Before facing Ruud, Tien got past Zachary Svajda 7-5 7-5. According to api.tennis data, both sets in that match also finished with a two-game margin.
According to rank.tennis data, Ruud sits 20th in the rankings with 2235 points. Tien is ranked 18th with 2345 points. In Shanghai, the American held the higher ranking and seeding, but it was the Norwegian who proved stronger on court.