The Norwegian will try on Sunday to add an 8th title to his list.
To do this, he will have to defeat the Pole Hubert Hurkacz (10th), defending champion, or the Spanish phenomenon Carlos Alcaraz (16th), aged 18, opposed in the other semi-final.
"Reaching a Masters 1000 final was a goal, it means a lot to me," commented Ruud, who had lost his previous three semi-finals in tournaments at this level.
Ruud, who had not passed the first round of the Florida tournament in his first two participations, remained on an impressive victory against Alexander Zverev in the quarters and left, as such and because of his classification, big favorite against Cerundolo , neophyte at this stage of an event of this category.
The difference in level was not immediately glaring in this meeting, because Cerundolo resisted well in the first set, even managing to break the first.
But Ruud hastened to erase this advantage in the next game, before making his experience speak, despite their common age (23), to make the difference in the 10th game, pushing his opponent to the fault after a long exchange.
After a locker room break, Ruud saved two break points at the start of the second set and, game in hand, started to really pick up the pace, being aggressive and more precise, whether in the forehand, his great strength, or on the fly.
Casper Ruud facing Francisco Cerundolo in Miami, April 1, 2022 Michael Reaves Getty/AFP
So much so that the opposition in front collapsed, Cerundolo understanding that he would have no chance of creating the feat.
The latter, who should join the Top 50 in the ATP rankings on Monday, can nevertheless be proud of his career in Florida which notably saw him dismiss the American Reilly Opelka (18th, on abandonment), the French Gaël Monfils (24th ), the American Frances Tiafoe (31st) and the Italian Jannik Sinner (11th, also on retirement).
© 2022 AFP