China Open 2023: Casper Ruud vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (7) Casper Ruud vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Tournament: China Open 2023
Date: October 1, 2023
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $3,633,875
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime | Canada - TSN
Casper Ruud vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry preview
Seventh seed Casper Ruud will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round of the China Open.
The Norwegian entered the ATP 500 event following a disappointing second-round exit at the US Open that saw him drop from fifth to ninth in the ATP rankings. He took on Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round.
Ruud broke early in the first set but the German broke him back and the set went to a tiebreak. The Norwegian won it 7-5 to take the first set. The second set saw both players hold their serve in the first six games before Ruud won four games on the trot to win 6-3 and book his place in the second round.
Martin Etcheverry, meanwhile, entered the China Open following a quarterfinal exit at the Zhuhai Championships. He was drawn against South Africa's Lloyd Harris in the opening round.
The first set was tightly contested and went to a tiebreak, which Harris won 7-5 to take the lead in the match. The second set was also evenly matched with both players holding their serve. Another tiebreak ensued and this time, Martin Etcheverry won it 7-4 to force the match into a decider.
The final set saw the Argentine make the only break of the match and this turned out to be decisive as he won 6-3 to book his place in the second round of the China Open.
Casper Ruud vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry head-to-head
The head-to-head between the two currently stands at 0-0 since they haven't locked horns before on the ATP Tour.
Casper Ruud vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Casper Ruud vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry prediction
Ruud will enter the match as the favorite to win. He will be eager to book his place in the quarterfinals in Beijing after enduring a rocky 2023 season so far with the exception of the French Open.
The Norwegian will look to be aggressive from the very first point and dictate the play from the back of the court. His hard-court game has improved over the past year and his defensive skills are always very effective. Ruud's serve will also come in very handy as he is capable of serving a lot of aces.
Etcheverry loves to play an all-attack game, and his composure will be key while facing Ruud's defense. The Argentine served nine aces in his last match and will be keen on fetching more of those against the Norwegian.
Despite Ruud's frailties this season, Etcheverry will have to bring on his A-game if he is to come out on top. The two-time French Open runner-up did well to beat Jan-Lennard Struff in his first match and should manage to get the better of Etcheverry given his more balanced game.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets.