Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud dismantle No. 2 seeds in doubles opener

Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud have gotten off to a great start to their Bastad doubles run after ousting No. 2 seeds Guido Andreozzi and Miguel Reyes-Varela in their tournament opener. 

On Monday, Nadal, 38, and 25-year-old Ruud made their debut as a doubles team on the main level. And they made sure their debut would start on a positive note as they routinely handled the business against Andreozzi and Reyes-Varela and sealed a 6-1 6-4 win.

During the match, Andreozzi and Reyes-Varela – who have been playing together since the start of 2024 – had some chances but didn’t convert as Nadal and Ruud played better in the key moments and that played a major part in their win. 

Now, Nadal and Ruud will be facing either Cameron Norrie and Mariano Navone or Theo Arribage and Roman Safiullin in the Bastad doubles quarterfinal. 

How Nadal and Ruud beat Andreozzi and Reyes-Varela

Early in the match, Nadal and Ruud claimed a break in the second game before saving two break points in the fifth game to go 4-1 up. After not allowing Andreozzi and Reyes-Varela to get the break back, Nadal and Ruud got their second break in the sixth game for a 5-1 lead before saving a break point in the following game to win the opener with just one dropped game.

Up by a set, Nadal and Ruud also started the second set with an early 2-0 lead after earning a break in the first game and saving a break point in the following game. 

Down by a set and a break and missing break points in three games, Andreozzi and Reyes-Varela finally managed to get a break in the sixth game and level the second set to three games apiece. 

But Nadal and Ruud kept their focus and broke Andreozzi and Reyes-Varela again in the seventh game before serving out for a two-set win in the 10th game.