Wimbledon 2022: Casper Ruud vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Casper Ruud vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
Date: June 27, 2022.
Tournament: Wimbledon 2022.
Round: First round (Round of 128).
Venue: London, United Kingdom.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: £40,350,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports.
Casper Ruud vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas preview
Third seed Casper Ruud will take on Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
An injury kept Ruud from participating in the Australian Open, but he made a successful return to the tour by winning the Argentina Open. The following month, he reached his first Masters 1000 final at the Miami Open. The Norwegian's clay season started slowly but picked up steam towards the end.
Ruud reached the semifinals of the Italian Open and then defended his title at the Geneva Open. He then reached his maiden Grand Slam final at the French Open, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets.
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However, success on grass courts has proved elusive for Ruud. He lost in the first round of Wimbledon in his previous two appearances. He competed at Queen's Club last week but suffered a shock first-round loss to Ryan Peniston.
Despite a disappointing start to his grass season, the Norwegian will be eager to prove himself at the All England Club.
Albert Ramos-Vinolas' year has been rather decent so far. Winning his fourth career title at the Cordoba Open remains the highlight of his season. He also reached the semifinals of the Estoril Open.
He lost to Sebastian Baez in the first round of the Australian Open. At the French Open, he defeated Juan Ignacio Londero in straight sets to set up a second-round clash against teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz. Ramos-Vinolas put up a huge fight and even held a match point, but Alcaraz staged an incredible comeback to defeat his older compatriot.
The Spaniard competed at Queen's Club in the lead-up to Wimbledon but lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round.
Casper Ruud vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas head-to-head
Ramos-Vinolas leads Ruud 3-1 in the head-to-head, while Ruud won their previous encounter at the 2020 Chile Open in straight sets. This will be their first match on grass, with all four of their previous contests played on clay.
Casper Ruud vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Casper Ruud vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas prediction
Ruud is seeking his very first win at Wimbledon, while Ramos-Vinolas hasn't won a match here since 2017. Both players aren't exactly known for their grass court prowess and are more at home on clay.
Ramos-Vinolas almost managed to win against Alcaraz at the French Open but let the match slip from his fingers. The Spaniard will need to show some mental fortitude if he finds himself on the cusp of a victory against Ruud.
Ruud, who has improved a lot over the past year, might feel some pressure to perform following his runner-up finish in Paris and to justify his high ranking. After doing considerably well on clay courts, he found some success on hardcourts too this year. It should only be a matter of time before he tastes victory on grass as well.
Ramos-Vinolas is quite steady from the baseline and looks to engage in drawn-out rallies to elicit errors from his opponents. Ruud's the better server between them, and coupled with his heavy forehand, he'll look to dominate the rallies. The Norwegian will need to keep the points short and not allow his opponent to take control of the rallies.
This appears to be an evenly matched contest considering their lack of prior success on grass. Ruud has been more consistent this year and should be able to score his first win at Wimbledon this time around.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in four sets.