ATP Finals 2022: Casper Ruud vs Andrey Rublev preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Casper Ruud vs (6) Andrey Rublev.
Date: November 19, 2022.
Tournament: ATP Finals 2022.
Round: Semifinal.
Venue: Pala Alpitour, Turin, Italy.
Category: Year-ending championships.
Surface: Indoor hardcourt.
Prize money: $14,750,000.
Match timing: Not before 9 pm local time, 8 pm GMT, 3 pm ET and 1:30 am IST.
Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports 18 & Voot.
Casper Ruud vs Andrey Rublev preview
Two-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud will square off against World No. 7 Andrey Rublev in the semifinals of the 2022 ATP Finals on Saturday.
Following wins over Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz, Ruud had already sealed his place in the semifinals. He took on Rafael Nadal in his final group tie, with the Spaniard being eliminated from contention after losing his first two of matches.
Both players remained solid on serve for most of the opening set. Ruud held a couple of break points in the ninth game but failed to make the most of them. The Norwegian then served to stay in the set at 6-5, but Nadal managed to break his serve to clinch the set.
The second set played out in a similar fashion as the duo remained steady on serve until Ruud stumbled in the end. With the 23-year-old serving to stay in the match at 6-5, Nadal once again broke his serve to defeat him 7-5, 7-5.
Rublev commenced his ATP Finals campaign with a three-set victory against Daniil Medvedev but lost to Novak Djokovic in straight sets afterwards. It all came down to his match against Stefanos Tsitsipas, with the winner making it to the last four.
The Greek jumped to a 4-1 lead in the first set, which he didn't give up to bag the opener. After being evenly matched for the better part of the second set, Rublev raised his level towards the end. He claimed the last three games of the set to take it and force a decider.
Rublev snagged an early break in the third set to go 3-1 up. He broke his opponent's serve once again in the seventh game, following which he served out the match to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and reach the semifinals here for the first time.
Casper Ruud vs Andrey Rublev head-to-head
Rublev leads Ruud 4-1 in the head-to-head. The latter won their previous encounter in the group stage of the 2021 ATP Finals in three sets.
Casper Ruud vs Andrey Rublev odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Casper Ruud vs Andrey Rublev prediction
It took a while, but once Rublev found his groove against Tsitsipas, he didn't stop until he was done. He was completely in the zone, firing off his groundstrokes with power and precision, especially his forehand.
His momentum came to a halt against Nadal in his last group tie. However, he has played at a decent level throughout the tournament. He has been serving efficiently and a much-improved backhand has added stability to his game.
Ruud is in danger of getting blown off the court if Rublev plays with complete focus. He is capable of handling power players like the Russian and his overall consistency makes him a tough player to wear down. Having reached a couple of Major finals, the Norwegian's prior experience could him an edge and help him reach another big final.
Rublev's positive winning record might give him confidence against an opponent he has dominated for a while, but there's a good chance that Ruud will get the better of him this time.
Pick: Casper Ruud in three sets.