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Ruud Advances to Barcelona Open Final, His Fourth Title Match of the Year

Casper Ruud of Norway in action during his semifinal match against Tomas Etcheverry of Argentina at the ATP Barcelona Open tennis tournament held in Barcelona, Spain, 20 April 2024. (EPA)
Casper Ruud of Norway in action during his semifinal match against Tomas Etcheverry of Argentina at the ATP Barcelona Open tennis tournament held in Barcelona, Spain, 20 April 2024. (EPA)
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Ruud Advances to Barcelona Open Final, His Fourth Title Match of the Year

Casper Ruud of Norway in action during his semifinal match against Tomas Etcheverry of Argentina at the ATP Barcelona Open tennis tournament held in Barcelona, Spain, 20 April 2024. (EPA)
Casper Ruud of Norway in action during his semifinal match against Tomas Etcheverry of Argentina at the ATP Barcelona Open tennis tournament held in Barcelona, Spain, 20 April 2024. (EPA)

Casper Ruud advanced to his fourth final of the year after beating Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets at the Barcelona Open on Saturday.

The sixth-ranked Norwegian won the semifinal 7-6 (6), 6-4 on the outdoor clay court. He will face either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Dusan Lajovic for the title on Sunday.

Ruud has won 10 career titles but lost all three previous finals he played in 2024, including last weekend when he fell to Tsitsipas in the Monte Carlo title match.

Ruud needed to save a set point in the first set against Martin Etcheverry to record his season-leading 28th win.

Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament before it started because of an injury, while second-seeded Andrey Rublev lost in the second round.

Rafael Nadal, a 12-time champion in Barcelona, made his return to the courts for the first time since January on Tuesday, only to lose the next day.

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South Korea Expresses Regret after Its Athletes Introduced as North Korea at Opening Ceremony

Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
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South Korea Expresses Regret after Its Athletes Introduced as North Korea at Opening Ceremony

Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)

South Korea expressed regret that its delegation of athletes at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday was introduced as from rival North Korea and has demanded assurances from organizers the mistake will not happen again.

As the boat carrying South Korean athletes passed on the Seine, the announcer introduced them as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" - the official name of North Korea - in French and English.

The announcer used the same introduction when the North Korean delegation passed.

South Korea's vice minister for sports and culture, Jang Mi-ran, who was in Paris, had requested a meeting with International Olympics Committee President Thomas Bach, the ministry said in a statement.

"We express regret that the country was introduced as North Korea at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games when the athletes of the Republic of Korea were entering," it said.

South Korea's National Olympic Committee immediately referred the incident to the Games' organizers and requested that the error will not be repeated.

South Korea's delegation includes 143 athletes competing in 21 events. North Korea, which is returning to the Games for the first time since Rio 2016, has sent 16 athletes.