Korea Open 2022: Casper Ruud vs Yoshihito Nishioka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Casper Ruud vs Yoshihito Nishioka.
Date: September 30, 2022.
Tournament: Korea Open 2022.
Round: Quarterfinal.
Venue: Seoul, South Korea.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $1,237,570.
Match timing: Approx. 3 pm local time, 6 am GMT, 11:30 am IST and 2 am ET.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports.
Casper Ruud vs Yoshihito Nishioka preview
Top seed Casper Ruud will square off against World No. 56 Yoshihito Nishioka in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Korea Open on Friday.
After a first-round bye, Ruud took on Nicolas Jarry in the second round. He was expected to win the match quite easily considering the year he has had, but was taken to three sets instead. He started on a strong note as he jumped to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. His opponent was unable to recover from this deficit as the Norwegian went on to claim the first set.
The momentum swung the other way in the second set. Jarry raced to a 4-1 lead and maintained his position as the frontrunner until the end of the set to clinch it. Both players looked quite solid early on in the final set. The World No. 2 nabbed the decisive break in the sixth game of the set to go 4-2 up.
Ruud soon stepped up to close out the proceedings and needed four match points to finally claim a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory. He has now made it to the last eight of a tournament for the 11th time this season.
@CasperRuud98 reaches the last eight at the #KoreaOpen, outlasting Nicolas Jarry 6-2, 3-6, 6-3!
Quarter-final bound ✅
Top seed 🇳🇴 @CasperRuud98 reaches the last eight at the #KoreaOpen, outlasting Nicolas Jarry 6-2, 3-6, 6-3! https://t.co/2PWkUN7YDy
Yoshihito Nishioka scored his sixth consecutive win over fifth seed Dan Evans to begin his campaign in Seoul. He was up against compatriot Taro Daniel in the second round.
Nishioka was dialed in from the start and went on a five-game run to grab the opening set. The second set was slightly more competitive as both were quite steady on serve for the better part of the set. Nishioka got the upper hand in the ninth game of the set and served out the match in the following game to win 6-2, 6-4.
He has now reached his third quarterfinal of the year. He won his previous one at the Citi Open, but lost the one before that at the Mexican Open.
Casper Ruud vs Yoshihito Nishioka head-to-head
Ruud leads Nishioka 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2021 Madrid Open in straight sets.
Casper Ruud vs Yoshihito Nishioka odds
All odds are sourced from Draftkings Sportsbook.
Casper Ruud vs Yoshihito Nishioka prediction
Ruud was expected to ease past Jarry in the previous round, but was instead put to work by him. He still managed to raise his level to come out on top in the end. The Norwegian finished with 18 winners and 7 unforced errors, and played a rather clean match despite his second set stumble.
Nishioka hasn't dropped a set across his two matches here so far and has looked quite solid. While his serve doesn't give him too much of an advantage, he makes up for it in other ways. His lefty cross-court forehand is quite the shot. The 27-year-old's court coverage is also quite impressive.
Ruud has been one of the most consistent players this season. Nishioka is quite a capable player, but the World No. 2 has it in him to overcome any challenges posed by his opponent. Based on the Norwegian's form, he's the favorite to emerge victorious in this clash.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets.