Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

United Cup Day 4 Predictions Including Casper Ruud vs Thiago Monteiro

We are onto day four of the United Cup, as the event has produced a ton of high-quality tennis in its inaugural edition. Day four features a handful of intriguing ties as world #3 Casper Ruud takes on the in-form Thiago Monteiro. As always, we at LWOT have coverage of that match and all other happenings around the grounds of Australia, including Paula Badosa vs Harriet Dart and Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexander Bublik. But who will come out on top?

United Cup Day 4 Predictions

Norway vs Brazil

Casper Ruud vs Thiago Monteiro

Head-to-head: Ruud 3-1 Monteiro

World #3 Ruud is looking for a solid start to his 2023 season as he takes on Monteiro. The 28-year-old Brazilian is coming off of a career year that saw him win 33 matches and achieve a career-high ranking of World No. 61. Monteiro opened up his United Cup campaign with a 4-6 6-7(6) loss to Matteo Berrettini, though, he looked very comfortable in the loss. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, Ruud’s consistency will be too much to handle. Monteiro excels at counterpunching, using his opponent’s aggression against them. Ruud has the perfect game to counteract that. Also, the 24-year-old Norwegian rarely loses to players ranked as low as Monteiro. He was 18-6 against players ranked outside the top 70 last season.

Prediction: Ruud in 2
Embed from Getty Images

Ulrikke Eikeri vs Laura Pigossi

Head-t0-head: Eikeri 2-0 Pigossi

Veterans Ulrikke Eikeri and Laura Pigossi are set to square off for the third time, though this will be their first meeting since 2013. Although Eikeri holds the 2-0 head-to-head record, Pigossi has been the far more successful professional player. The 28-year-old Brazilian got her first real tour-level experience in 2022 and stood up to the test. She notched an 11-10 tour-level record with wins over four players inside the top 100. Eikeri played in just 15 matches all of last season. Pigossi is the better player and should prove as much in the United Cup.

Prediction: Pigossi in 2
Embed from Getty Images

Belgium vs Bulgaria

Elise Mertens vs Viktoriya Tomova

Head-to-head: Mertens 1-0 Tomova

27-year-olds Elise Mertens and Viktoriya Tomova are set to square off in a crucial tie between Belgium and Bulgaria. The two have met once before, with Mertens coming back from a set down to defeat Tomova 4-6 6-2 6-4 in 2021. Mertens comes into this match having finished the 2022 season with momentum. She posted an 8-2 record in October, including a title in Monastir. Tomova, on the other hand, has lost seven of her last nine matches, including a 3-6 2-6 defeat against Maria Sakkari earlier this week. I expect the Belgian to push Tomova around the court with her consistency from the baseline.

Prediction: Mertens in 2
Embed from Getty Images

Zizou Bergs vs Dimitar Kuzmanov

Head-to-head: Bergs 1-0 Kuzmanov

Zizou Bergs and Dimitar Kuzmanov are set to square off for the second time. Bergs got the better of the Bulgarian 6-3 6-4 back in 2018 at an ITF event final. Since then, Bergs has been the more fruitful player, culminating in a career-high ranking of World No. 128 in September 2022. The 23-year-old is coming off his most successful professional season, reaching four Challenger-level titles in 2022. While Kuzmanov reached four semifinals, he was nowhere near as consistent as Bergs. The Belgian is a future top-100 player and will have no trouble handling Kuzmaznov in straight sets.

Prediction: Bergs in 2

Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images

Share:

More Posts

Send Us A Message