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Match details
Fixture: (3) Casper Ruud vs Tennys Sandgren
Date: 19 May 2021
Tournament: Gonet Geneva Open 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Geneva, Switzerland
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: €419,470
Match timing: 12 pm local time, 10 am GMT, 6 am EST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel
Casper Ruud vs Tennys Sandgren preview
Casper Ruud will open his 2021 Geneva Open campaign with a second-round encounter against America's Tennys Sandgren on Wednesday.
Ruud had a mixed start to the 2021 season, but looks to have struck form just in time for Roland Garros. A renowned claycourt specialist, the Norwegian has produced some of his best tennis in recent weeks, and will be eyeing a fifth consecutive quarterfinal on dirt.
Sandgren, on his part, first burst on to the scene by reaching the quarterfinals of the 2018 Australian Open, where he picked up wins over the likes of Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem. And while the American did manage a repeat of his heroics Down Under a couple of years later, the same degree of success has eluded him elsewhere.
Sandgren has made first-round exits in all but two of his main-draw appearances this year, and will enter the contest on Wednesday as a heavy underdog.
Casper Ruud vs Tennys Sandgren head-to-head
Casper Ruud leads Tennys Sandgren in the head-to-head with a slender 1-0 margin. The Norwegian had scored a hard-fought win in the duo's only prior meeting, which came at the 2018 Auckland Open.
Casper Ruud vs Tennys Sandgren prediction
Given his clay-court prowess and recent run of form, Casper Ruud will enter this contest as the clear favorite. That said, he did struggle against Tennys Sandren in their only previous meeting, and will need to avoid any slip-ups on Wednesday.
Sandgren plays an aggressive game, built around big serves and power-packed groundstrokes. And while he prefers faster surfaces, he has had a few noteworthy results on clay as well.
Ruud, however, has given ample evidence of his ability to handle pace. His counterpunching skills and sublime movement on clay have been on full display in recent weeks, especially in his win over Stefanos Tsitsipas at Madrid.
The Norwegian has himself made the effort to play with more aggression, a strategy which has paid off so far. His heavy forehand has proven to be a potent weapon on the red dirt, and he has also begun to look increasingly confident in his net approaches.
If Ruud can continue to bring together all the small elements of his game together as well as he has in the last few weeks, he could well be on his way to an easy win over Sandgren on Wednesday.
Prediction: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets.
