French Open 2024: Casper Ruud vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Roland Garros
Match Details
Fixture: (7) Casper Ruud vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Date: May 30, 2024
Tournament: French Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Clay (Outdoor)
Prize Money: £53,478,000
Live Telecast: USA - NBC, Tennis Channel, Peacock | Canada - TSN, RDS | UK - Eurosport, Discovery+ | India - Sony Ten
Casper Ruud vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina preview
Seventh seed Casper Ruud will lock horns with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round of the 2024 French Open on Thursday (May 30).
Ruud arrived in Paris having captured his second title of the season at last week's Geneva Open. He took on Felipe Meligeni Alves in the first round, reigniting a rivalry which began in the previous generation.
Meligeni Alves' uncle, Fernando, had defeated Ruud's father, Christian, in the final of the 1985 Swedish Open. However, it was the Norwegians who had the last laugh this time.
Ruud captured the first couple of sets with a single break of serve in his favor. He inflicted further damage in the third set, breaking Meligeni Alves' serve twice for a comfortable 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win in just under two hours.
Davidovich Fokina, meanwhile, commenced his campaign against qualifier Valentin Vacherot. The Spaniard matched his opponent shot for shot for most of the first set but stumbled towards the end. He got broken when he served to stay in the set at 5-4 and lost the opener.
Davidovich Fokina was quick to course correct and nabbed the next couple of sets in identical fashion. He reeled off five games on the trot from 2-1 onwards in the second and third sets to surge ahead in the match.
Vacherot saved a match point in the fourth set to force a tie-break but it only delayed the inevitable. Davidovich Fokina came out on top in it to complete a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (2) comeback win.
Casper Ruud vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina head-to-head
The two are evenly matched in this rivalry having evenly split their four matches to tie the head-to-head at 2-2. Ruud won their most recent encounter at this year's Miami Open in straight sets.
Casper Ruud vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Casper Ruud vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina prediction
Ruud has been in great form throughout the season, aside from a couple of early exits. He hardly broke a sweat against Meligeni Alves in the previous round, putting up a commanding performance on serve, along with some focused shotmaking.
Davidovich Fokina regrouped after a first-set stumble to oust Vacherot. He'll now aim to win consecutive matches for the first time since February. He won the pair's only match on clay, defeating Ruud in a five-set thriller en route to the quarterfinals of the 2021 French Open.
Their fortunes have reversed since then, with the Norwegian making the final the last two years, while the Spaniard hasn't advanced beyond the third round. Ruud has won a tour-leading 36 matches this year, with exactly half of them coming on clay.
Davidovich Fokina, meanwhile, registered his second win on the red dirt thanks to his first-round victory here. Given their form, the Norwegian will be the overwhelming favorite to make the third round.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets.