Madrid Open 2021: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Casper Ruud preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (4) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Casper Ruud
Date: 6 May 2021
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: Madrid, Spain
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: €2,614,465
Match timing: Not before 4 pm local time, 7.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Casper Ruud preview
Stefanos Tsitsipas kickstarted his Mutua Madrid Open campaign with a thumping 6-1, 6-2 victory over France's Benoit Paire on Wednesday.
Tsitsipas, who reached the final of the last edition of the tournament (in 2019), didn't put a foot wrong against Paire as he cruised through in just under an hour. The Greek has been in red-hot form this season, and will next face fellow 22-year-old Casper Ruud.
Ruud has had a decent 2021 himself, reaching his first ever Round of 16 at a Grand Slam Down Under. The Norwegian then withdrew from his quarterfinal match against Alexander Zverev at Acapulco, but followed that up by reaching his second career Masters 1000 semifinal at Monte Carlo.
Ruud has been in fine form here at Madrid too, beating both Felix Auger-Aliassime and Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Casper Ruud head-to-head
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud have never faced each other on the ATP tour, so their head-to-head is currently tied at 0-0.
The two players did, however, meet at the Futures level back in 2016, at Santa Margherita di Pula, where Tsitsipas triumphed in three sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Casper Ruud prediction
Stefanos Tsitsipas seems to be the favorite on paper, given his ranking and recent form. That said, Casper Ruud could be a tough hurdle for Tsitsipas in his pursuit of a second Masters 1000 title.
Tsitsipas was in complete control of his first-round encounter, and he will be hoping to continue his dominance on clay; the Greek has won 11 of his 12 matches on the surface this year.
Meanwhile Ruud, who generates one of the highest topspin rates on the tour, has been absolutely dominant in his service games this week. The Norwegian hasn't faced a single break point in either of his matches so far.
The match is likely to feature plenty of fast-paced and powerful rallies. Ruud will look to be the aggressor and use his heavy forehand to dictate the pace of the match. But Tsitsipas' experience and solidity will likely give him an edge, and ultimately take him to yet another quarterfinal.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in two tight sets.