Both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud lost their opening matches in Turin. The pair will face off on Day 4 of the ATP Finals to try and keep their hopes of advancing to the semifinals alive. Who do you think will win?
ATP Finals Day 4 Prediction
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Casper Ruud
This matchup is intriguing based on the fact that neither player is suited for quick indoor hard courts. Ruud has impressed on hard courts this year, really improving his game on the surface. Tsitsipas has a good hard court career record, but his backhand was exposed in his last match against Rublev. Tsitsipas has also struggled with his return game in past matches. Ruud does not have the most dominant serve, but that will be the key to the match. If he can serve well, Tsitsipas will struggle to make gains on return. If not, Tsitsipas can attack and use his all-around game to hit through Ruud.
Tsitsipas has not been in great form, retiring from his first match in Paris and losing second round against Frances Tiafoe in Vienna. Ruud has fared better, making back-to-back quarterfinals in Vienna and Paris. He also managed respectable losses to both Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic in Paris and here, two of the three favorites to win the tournament. Ruud comes in as the underdog but his play certainly has been stronger than Tsitsipas.
They have met twice this year, splitting the meetings. Ruud topped Tsitsipas on clay in Madrid, an impressive feat considering Tsitsipas is a strong clay courter and went on to make the French Open final. Tsitsipas won convincingly on the hard courts in Toronto. The fast courts in Milan have proven to be a challenge for Tsitsipas, but he did win the event back in London in 2019. Ruud enters in better form but Tsitsipas will look to finish the season strong and has experience here. Tsitsipas’ health is certainly a concern but if he is fully fit he can get past Ruud through the match will surely not be straightforward and will be hard fought throughout.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
