Jack Draper was beaten in three gruelling sets by an inspired Casper Ruud in the Madrid Open final.
The 23-year-old Briton fought back to level the match after losing the opening set, but it was three-time grand slam finalist Ruud who held the edge on the crucial points.
Draper, up to fifth in the world rankings after his brilliant run in the Spanish capital and bidding for a second ATP 1000 title in two months following his Indian Wells triumph in mid-March, fell short against the Norwegian, who triumphed 7-5 3-6 6-4 in just under two and a half hours.
Ruud, a two-time runner-up at the French Open, won his first Masters title with a gutsy performance that showcased his clay-court mettle.
“You really deserve it,” Draper told Ruud afterwards. “You were braver than me in the key moments. Congratulations to you and your team for all the hard work.
“This loss hurts but I also want to thank my own team, my family for all of the support. This sport is brutal but I will keep trying, I think this loss will make me better.”
Ruud will climb back into the world top 10 after overcoming both a rib injury sustained in the semi-final and a resilient Draper to secure the trophy after previously dispatching Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev and Francisco Cerundolo.
“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,” the 26-year-old Ruud said after winning the biggest title of his career.
“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. Jack is an incredible player.
“I owe a lot of my success to my family, my coaches, my friends. I’m surrounded by amazing people, I’m a very lucky guy.”
Draper looked to be in control early in the first set as he set off in pursuit of a first ATP clay-court crown, forcing the first break of serve to lead 3-1, but from 5-3 down Ruud launched a superb counter-offensive.
The 14th seed reeled off four successive games, breaking back to level it up at 5-5 and taking the first set in 52 minutes.
The turnaround left Draper furious as he remonstrated with himself and his coach, but he quickly regrouped to play solidly before ripping a forehand winner to break Ruud for a second time and move 4-3 ahead.
Draper then showed resilience to fend off two break points in the next game to move 5-3 up before winning against the Ruud serve for the third time in the match to level it up at one set each.
The Briton produced a pivotal hold at 1-1 in the decider, surviving three break points in a game that lasted over 10 minutes to edge 2-1 ahead.
Both players came under heavy pressure on serve, with Draper letting slip two break points as Ruud drew level at 2-2 before winning the next two games to move 4-2 in front.
Draper was a point away from going 5-2 down, but dug deep to hold and trail 4-3, and after both players won their next service games, Ruud served for the title at 5-4.
The 26-year-old produced two excellent forehands to seal his first Masters 1000 title with a hold to love.
