Young guns took over Santiago. The revamped Chile Open will crown either a 21-year-old, Casper Ruud, or a 19-year-old, Thiago Seyboth Wild. Aside from youth, both finalists share in common a fearsome forehand. Who will deploy his weapons more successfully on Sunday?
ATP Santiago Final Prediction
Thiago Seyboth Wild vs Casper Ruud
Head to head: first meeting
This matchup has the potential to be a cracker. He may not be able to summon his best tennis every week, let alone every day, but Ruud has made a substantial leap forward in 2020. On his fifth attempt, the Norwegian finally managed to defeat Albert Ramos Viñolas by a 7-6 6-2 score. Umpire Rafael Maia had his hands full trying to keep the match under control. The tenth game of the first set was especially messy, with both players upset about two separate decisions by the official, one of which even required the presence of tournament supervisor Cedric Mourier. Despite wasting several set points in that game, Ruud ended up sealing his ticket for a second final in three weeks in almost two hours of work.
Later on, Seyboth Wild delivered a superb performance against Renzo Olivo, routinely beating the Argentinian 6-1 6-3. The Brazilian won more than half of his return points, including an absurd 69% rate against second serves. It won’t be easy to replicate those stout numbers, as Ruud has won a 78% of his first service points throughout the tournament. Regardless of the outcome of the final, this week in Chile has been a massive positive for the 2018 US Open boys’ champion. Seyboth Wild is guaranteed to rise at least 51 spots in the rankings, but a win would vault him an extra 18 spots, all the way up to No. 113. Not bad for a wild card recipient, right?
Still, as impressive as Seyboth Wild has been at the Chile Open, having only dropped one set en route to the final, it’s hard to go against Ruud’s similar momentum but superior experience. I expect the second seed to hoist the trophy.
Prediction: Ruud in 2
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