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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Casper Ruud vs (5) Sebastian Baez.
Tournament: Estoril Open 2023.
Date: April 7, 2023.
Round: Quarterfinal.
Venue: Clube de Tenis do Estoril, Estoril, Portugal.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €562,815.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez preview
Top seed Casper Ruud will square off against defending champion Sebastian Baez in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Estoril Open on Friday.
After a first-round bye, Ruud faced home favorite Joao Sousa in the second round. The World No. 5 was the first to get a whiff of a break point in the opening set, but was unable to convert.
Sousa didn't commit the same mistake when he was presented with a similar opportunity. A break of serve in the fifth game put him in the lead, which he never squandered to capture the set.
Ruud responded strongly in the second set as he jumped to a 3-0 lead. He broke Sousa's serve once again towards the end to claim the set. The Norwegian then raced to a 5-1 lead in the third set and stepped up to serve for the match.
Sousa broke Ruud's serve to make it 5-2, but it wasn't the start of a fightback. The 2022 French Open finalist broke his opponent's serve in the very next game to wrap up a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 comeback win.
Meanwhile, Baez kicked off his title defense with a win over Radu Albot. He was up against compatriot Pedro Cachin in the second round.
The defending champion led 2-0 in the first set, but surrendered his lead as his opponent managed to get back on serve. Baez upped his level towards the end of the set as he bagged three games in a row to clinch it.
He then led by a break thrice in the second set, but Cachin managed to claw his way back into the match on each occasion.
Baez managed to get the upper hand in the ensuing tie-break to win the match 6-4, 7-6 (2). It marked his seventh consecutive victory in Estoril and ensured that he remains undefeated at the venue so far.
Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez prediction
After an underwhelming start to the season, Casper Ruud will be hoping for a change in his fortunes now that he's competing on his beloved clay. He raised his level considerably after losing the first set against Sousa in the previous round to emerge victorious.
Baez, meanwhile, continued his love affair with Estoril, racking up another win at the venue. Cachin gave him a tough fight, but the 22-year-old managed to prevail in the end.
Ruud is a great claycourt player, so the Argentine is likely to have his hands full with him.
Both players are quite comfortable getting down and dirty on clay, engaging in long rallies until they find an opening to land the killing blow. However, Ruud is yet to win consecutive matches this season. Baez, on the other hand, has already won a title on the red dirt.
If Ruud rediscovers his form, he's likely to come out on top in this contest. However, if Baez continues to play like he has all year long, he should be able to carry on with his title defense.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in three sets.
