Jack Draper was denied a second Masters 1000 title in as many months and first ATP trophy on clay after losing in three sets to two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud at the Madrid Open.

Ruud triumphed 7-5 3-6 6-4 in a gruelling match that lasted nearly two and a half hours to secure his maiden Masters 1000 title at the third attempt after going down to Carlos Alcaraz in Miami in 2022 and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo last year.

British No 1 Draper – Indian Wells champion in March – was 5-3 up in the first set but then lost four games in a row and was visibly angry after surrendering such a strong position.

He rallied in the second set, breaking his opponent at 3-3 and then holding serve after facing two break points in the next game.

Both men fashioned opportunities to break early in the decider but it was Norwegian Ruud who finally did so at 2-2 and, after a few nervy moments later on, he wrapped up victory by holding serve to love after a series of coruscating forehands.

Had Draper prevailed, he would have been only 25 points behind world No 4 Taylor Fritz in the official ATP rankings.

The 23-year-old was already assured of leapfrogging Novak Djokovic and entering the world’s top five for the first time after defeating Matteo Arnaldi in the quarter-finals in Madrid.

And despite this defeat to Ruud, he seems a strong contender for the French Open at Roland-Garros from May 25-June 8, an event at which he has lost in the first round in his previous two appearances.

Draper: Brutal loss will make me better

Draper, who went beyond the quarter-finals of an event on clay for the first time, had not dropped a set this week before facing Ruud.

He said afterwards: “[Casper] was braver than me in the key moments.

“This sport is brutal but I will keep trying, I think this loss will make me better.”

Ruud, who is now back in the world’s top 10 after previously being as high as No 2, said of his victory: “It feels great, of course.

“It’s been a long time coming. This is a really big goal that I have dreamed about since I was so young.

“It was a great match, I knew that Jack has been playing so well all year, so I knew I had to bring my A+ game. He is an incredible player.”

Ruud and Draper head for Italy as Sinner returns

Draper and Ruud will now play in next week’s Italian Open in Rome, a tournament which will see the return of world No 1 Jannik Sinner following the end of his three-month ban.

An out-of-form Djokovic has withdrawn from that event, while Alcaraz will make a late call on his inclusion as he recovers from a muscle injury that ruled him out of Madrid.

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