US Open 2021: Casper Ruud vs Botic van de Zandschulp preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (8) Casper Ruud vs Botic van de Zandschulp
Date: 1 September 2021
Tournament: US Open 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $40,560,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VVIP
Casper Ruud vs Botic van de Zandschulp preview
8th seed Casper Ruud will take on Dutch qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp in his second-round match at the 2021 US Open on Wednesday.
Ruud came through an easy win in his opener against lucky loser Yuichi Sugita, needing just three sets to dismiss the Japanese's challenge. The Norwegian has been in top form leading up to the year's final Slam and with a relatively open draw ahead of him, he will be eyeing a deep run here in New York.
Van de Zandschlup is in the midst of a breakthrough season himself. The 25-year-old mostly competed on the Challenger and ITF circuits prior to 2021, but has recorded three main draw wins at Grand Slam events this season.
His five-set first-round win over Spain's Carlos Taberner was his first in the main draw at the US Open. Needless to say, he will enter Wednesday's contest feeling confident about his game.
Casper Ruud vs Botic van de Zandschulp head-to-head
This is set to be the first career meeting between Casper Ruud and Botic van Zandshulp, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Casper Ruud vs Botic van de Zandschulp prediction
Casper Ruud has been playing some of his best tennis of late, and will enter this contest as the firm favorite.
The Norwegian's forehand has been the money-maker for most of his career, but he has made significant improvements to other parts of his game as well. Ruud has worked on his serve and has been much more aggressive in his intent over the last few months.
All of that has translated into success outside of his preferred clay courts. Ruud enters the US Open on the back of consecutive quarterfinal showings in Toronto and Cincinnati, which included big wins over the likes of Reilly Opelka and Marin Cilic.
The eighth seed will look to use his powerful groundstrokes to take control of the baseline exchanges on Wednesday. But Botic van de Zandschulp did show flashes of brilliant hardcourt tennis on Monday, and could cause a few problems for Ruud.
The Dutchman possesses a big weapon in the form of a strong first serve - he matched Ruud's ace count in the first match. But he will need to come up with a special performance to stop the Norwegian's charge on Wednesday.
Prediction: Casper Ruud to win in four sets.