BARCELONA: Casper Ruud of Norway sailed into the quarterfinal of the Barcelona Open after beating Jordan Thompson 6-1, 6-4 for his 26th win of the season.

With his victory, the third-seeded Ruud moved clear of Jannik Sinner for the most tour-level triumphs in 2024.

Ruud raced into an early 5-0 lead and hardly looked back from there on Pista Rafa Nadal. He closed out the opening set before clinching a decisive break in the seventh game of the second, ultimately wrapping a 73-minute victory, ATP reports.

The Norwegian who has reached three finals already this year (Los Cabos, Acapulco, Monte-Carlo), Ruud will take on Matteo Arnaldi next, who earlier downed Marco Trungelliti 6-3, 6-0 to secure his last-eight spot.