Jack Draper could not quite clear the final hurdle as he strove to land his first title on clay. It was a significant hurdle, because Casper Ruud is a clay-court animal who was born and bred for this surface.

Norway's Casper Ruud won his first Masters 1000 title on Sunday, as he stormed to a 7-5 3-6 6-4 victory over fifth seed Jack Draper in the Madrid Open final with a gutsy performance that showcased his claycourt mettle.

Draper drew first blood, breaking in the third game, leaving Ruud to simply applaud his opponent's performance. However, Draper faltered while serving for the set, sending the bal