Austria led Finland 2-1 in a Davis Cup World Group Playoff tie in 2019 when Dominic Thiem stepped on courtroom. The World No. 5 was the largest identify within the tie – a two-time French Open finalist on the time – as he ready to face a little-known participant named Emil Ruusuvuori. This was the primary time the teen was up in opposition to a high 10 participant. But that made little distinction to him as he pulled off a 6-3, 6-2 upset.
On paper, Austria was anticipated to run away with the tie. They finally gained 3-2, however solely after a deciding set tie-breaker within the fifth match. And it reached that far solely due to Ruusuvuori’s heroics.
“That was a long day, and I didn’t expect it,” Austrian captain Stefan Koubek was quoted as saying.
Ruusuvuori had already been turning heads by his progress up the charts. He began 2019 ranked 402 and completed it at 121. But it was on the Espoo Metro Areena – a facility used primarily for ice hockey – the place he picked up his profession’s greatest win. On Friday, now ranked 74, he’ll take to the identical courtroom when he leads the Finnish cost in opposition to the travelling Indians for a Davis Cup playoff spot.
The 22-year-old was simply 5 when he began taking part in tennis. He was launched to the game when a neighborhood coach noticed him taking part in badminton together with his mom close to their dwelling in Helsinki. Now he’s the highest-ranked singles participant that may characteristic within the tie this weekend.
The match-up was initially scheduled for September final 12 months however was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the interim, Finland’s spearhead managed to interrupt into the highest 100 for the primary time in his profession and has by no means fallen again into three digits for over every week. And there’s no shock in his upward trajectory.
Big recreation hunter
Ruusuvuori reached the semi-finals of the Nur Sultan ATP occasion final 12 months, and likewise made the last-four stage of ATP occasions in Winston-Salem and Atlanta up to now few months. And Thiem has not been his solely top-10 scalp.
In March, competing in his first-ever ATP 1000 Masters, he got here from behind to upset then World No. 7 Alexander Zverev in Miami. It was a match that noticed the Finn’s potential to seamlessly change technique. In the primary set, he tried to redirect Zverev’s firepower. When that didn’t work, he began to fluctuate his recreation. His made liberal use of topspin, slice and drop photographs. He began to strike the ball early as effectively, giving Zverev much less time to react, and got here to the online usually to complete off factors.
Pulling off a comeback win – after dropping the primary set – is one thing he’s carried out in opposition to each the Indian gamers he’s more likely to face this weekend. He beat World No. 187 and India No. 3 Ramkumar Ramanathan 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 after they met at a Challenger occasion in Canberra final 12 months. Earlier this 12 months, Ruusuvuori beat India No. 1 Prajnesh Gunneswaran (ranked 165) 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 on the Washington DC ATP occasion.
In between the 2 matches, he was even invited to coach with Rafael Nadal through the 2020 low season.
A change in Davis Cup guidelines final season ended the zonal segregation in Group 1. Which is how India, a workforce that will play within the erstwhile Asia/Oceania group, may draw Europe’s Finland. India had usually been robust within the zonal Group 1 levels – they’ve reached the World Group Playoffs for the previous seven years. The Finns, nevertheless, would be the strongest workforce they’ve come up in opposition to within the group stage in that point.
And Ruusuvuori is the largest participant they’d have confronted at this stage of the competitors.