Bastad 2024: Casper Ruud vs Thiago Monteiro preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Nordea Open
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Casper Ruud vs Thiago Monteiro
Date: July 17, 2024
Tournament: Nordea Open
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Bastad, Sweden
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Clay
Prize money: €579,320
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | India - Discovery
Casper Ruud vs Thiago Monteiro preview
Second seed and last year's runner-up Casper Ruud will take on Brazil's Thiago Monteiro in the second round of the 2024 Nordea Open. Ruud has a 40-11 record for the season, with two titles, both of which came on the clay. The Norwegian won the Barcelona Open and the Geneva Open, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas and Tomas Machac in the respective finals.
Ruud also made it to the finals of three other events - the Los Cabos Open, the Acapulco Open, and the Monte-Carlo Masters. He lost to Jordan Thompson, Alex de Minaur, and Stefanos Tsitspas in those finals, respectively. The World No. 9 also made it to the semi-finals of the French Open, losing to Alexander Zverev. Being the second seed, Ruud got a bye in the opening round of the Nordea Open.
Thiago Monteiro has struggled to find form in 2024. The Brazilian has not been able to qualify for the main draws of ATP events regularly. The Brazilian has a record of 9-5 for the season, which does not inspire confidence. However, Monteiro won six straight matches to reach the round of 16 from the qualifying stage in the Italian Open. He lost to Zhang Zhizhen.
Monteiro's highlight of the season so far has been the win over seventh-seed and former World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round of the Madrid Open. At the Nordea Open. Monteiro had a dominant victory over Federico Coria in the first round.
Casper Ruud vs Thiago Monteiro head-to-head
Ruud leads 3-0 in the head-to-head against Monteiro. The Norwegian won the last match at the United Cup last year.
Casper Ruud vs Thiago Monteiro odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Casper Ruud vs Thiago Monteiro prediction
Ruud is one of the best clay-court players on the current ATP circuit. The Norwegian's playing style is best suited for the surface, and his record of reaching three finals on it is the proof of that. The Norwegian also has a 23-7 record at the French Open, having been a finalist in 2022 and 2023 at the clay-court major. This further cements Ruud's credentials as a clay-court specialist.
Monteiro has yet to put in a meaningful performance in 2024. However, the decent performances the Brazilian has managed have come on clay, as shown by his back-to-back campaigns at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open.
The current seeding, ATP ranking, expertise on the surface, and the experience of playing on the big stage give a huge advantage to Ruud in this match.
Pick- Ruud to win in straight sets