Munich 2022: Casper Ruud vs Alex Molcan preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick | BMW Open
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Casper Ruud vs Alex Molcan.
Date: 28 April 2022.
Tournament: BMW Open 2022.
Round: Second Round (Round of 16).
Venue: MTTC Iphitos.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €534,555.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Discovery.
Casper Ruud vs Alex Molcan preview
Second seed Casper Ruud will take on Alex Molcan in the second round of the BMW Open in Munich on Thursday. The Norwegian is among the favorites to win the competition and will be keen to do so after exiting the Barcelona Open in the quarterfinals.
Ruud won two out of three matches at the ATP Cup to kickstart his 2022 season but was unable to compete at the Australian Open due to injury. He returned to action at the Argentina Open and won the title by beating Diego Schwartzman in the final despite being a set down.
The 23-year-old then reached the third round of the Indian Wells Masters before losing to Nick Kyrgios. Ruud followed this up with his maiden appearance in a Masters 1000 final in Miami, where he was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets. The Norwegian's run in the tournament saw him reach a career-high ranking of World No. 7.
Ruud then competed at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he suffered a shock third-round exit against Grigor Dimitrov.
The 23-year-old entered the Barcelona Open as the second seed and kickstarted his campaign by beating Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 6-2 before triumphing over Emil Ruusuvuori to reach the quarterfinals.
Ruud had three match points in his last-eight clash against Pablo Carreno Busta, but squandered them and eventually lost in three sets.
CARRENO BUSTA SURVIVES!🤯
@pablocarreno91 saves three match points to defeat Casper Ruud 4-6 7-6(8) 6-3!
@bcnopenbs | #BCNOpenBS https://t.co/0fZk2e6EP2
Molcan, meanwhile, started the season by reaching the quarterfinals of the Melbourne Summer Set, where he lost to Ruusuvuori. He then exited the Australian Open in the second round.
After suffering a first-round exit at the Open Sud de France, Molcan suffered second-round eliminations at the Qatar Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships. He then reached his first final of the season at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, beating top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime en route.
However, the 24-year-old lost to David Goffin in the summit clash despite winning the first set.
At the BMW Open in Munich, Molcan beat compatriot Norbert Gombos in three sets to reach the second round.
The match of the day was undoubtedly played between Alex Molcan and Norbert Gombos with the scoreline reading 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7). #BMWOpen
sportslumo.com/tennis/bmw-ope…
Casper Ruud vs Alex Molcan head-to-head
This will be the very first meeting between Ruud and Molcan, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Casper Ruud vs Alex Molcan odds
All odds sourced from Oddschecker.
Casper Ruud vs Alex Molcan prediction
Ruud will enter the match as the heavy favorite, given that he is one of the best claycourt players on tour at the moment. The Norwegian has won 35 out of 42 matches on the surface since the start of 2021.
However, Molcan has notched up some impressive results on the surface as well, including a victory over Auger-Aliassime not long ago, and should not be written off.
Ruud will look to dictate the match from the baseline with his topspin forehand. The Norwegian has ramped up his aggression in recent seasons and now enjoys controlling the points. His backhand is not as much of a weapon as his forehand on clay, but it's still a solid shot and does not break down easily.
Molcan does not have the firepower to take Ruud out of his comfort zone, so he must look to change up the pace of the rallies to try and eke out errors. Ultimately, though, Ruud should have little trouble getting the better of Molcan to make it to the quarterfinals of the BMW Open.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets.