INTERNATIONAL: Norway's Casper Ruud said he made the "perfect start" to the 2022 season after winning his seventh ATP tour title at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires on Sunday.​Schwartzman had ended a 13-year wait for an Argentine champion with his 2021 title but he could not repeat those heroics against Ruud.

Ruud, the top seed, missed the chance to take an early lead after he failed to convert a set point at 5-4 in the opening set, allowing second-seeded Schwartzman to draw level at 5-5. The Argentine then broke Ruud's serve in the eleventh game before serving out for the set.

The Norwegian missed four more breakpoints in the second game of the second set but four games later, he made the breakthrough to lead 4-2. Within minutes, he broke again to take the set 6-2 to level the match.

In the deciding set, 23-year-old Ruud twice broke Schwartzman's serve without dropping a point, and despite having lost serve himself in the third game, he raced into a 4-1 lead.

Schwartzman saved four break points in the next game to prevent a fifth consecutive loss of his serve, but Ruud comfortably served out his next two games to win his second Argentina Open title after two hours 37 minutes of play. His win in Buenos Aires in 2020 was his first ATP Tour title with Sunday's win giving him his seventh.

Ruud said after the match that he felt that he had been defending his title in Argentina, having not played the event in 2021.

"This is the first time I've had to defend a title and I was able to do it, so of course, I'm super happy, very excited and I'm excited for all the clay tournaments obviously to come this year, let's see how I can do, but the goal of course is to do well and I think this is the perfect start."