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Match Details
Fixture: Benoit Paire vs (2) Casper Ruud
Date: 18 May 2022
Tournament: Geneva Open 2022
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Geneva, Switzerland
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €534,555
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | India - Discovery
Benoit Paire vs Casper Ruud Preview
World No. 67 Benoit Paire will square off against World No. 8 Casper Ruud in the second round of the Geneva Open on Wednesday.
The Frenchman has had a turbulent season so far. He did well to make the third round of the Australian Open, upsetting 26th seed Grigor Dimitrov on the way. He eventually bowed out to Stefanos Tsitsipas in a tight three-setter.
Victories have been few and far between for the Frenchman since then. He suffered early exits from the Cordoba Open, Argentina Open, Rio Open and Mexican Open and failed to build any momentum during the American hardcourt summer, losing in the first round at Indian Wells and Miami.
His struggles continued during the claycourt season, as he lost his opening match in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Estoril and Madrid. After failing to qualify for the Rome Masters, he finally got back to winning ways in Geneva, defeating Emil Ruusuvuori 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 in his opener.
Casper Ruud, on the other hand, has played some solid tennis since missing out on the Australian Open at the start of the year. He made the final of the Miami Masters by beating the likes of Cameron Norrie and Alexander Zverev in his path. Carlos Alcaraz proved too hot to handle for the Norwegian in the title clash.
After uncharacteristic early exits from Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Munich and Madrid, the World No. 8 rediscovered his form in Rome. Ruud defeated Botic Van de Zandschulp, Jenson Brooksby and Denis Shapovalov to reach the semifinals, where he was ousted by the World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
As the second seed in Geneva, he was given a first-round bye and will open his campaign against Paire.
Benoit Paire vs Casper Ruud head-to-head
Benoit Paire and Casper Ruud have faced off on three occasions, with the Norwegian leading the head-to-head 3-0.
Ruud won their first meeting at the Hamburg European Open two years ago after Paire was forced to retire due to an injury in the second set.
The Norwegian defeated the Frenchman in the first round at Roland Garros last year and in the quarterfinals in Gstaad a few months later.
Benoit Paire vs Casper Ruud odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Benoit Paire vs Casper Ruud prediction
Benoit Paire is a tricky player who can cause problems for most opponents. His serve is rather hit and miss, but on the rare occasions it fires, it's a formidable weapon in his arsenal. His backhand is rock-solid, but his forehand is a huge liability. He also has the tendency to implode mentally when things do not go his way.
Casper Ruud, on his part, will look to dictate the play from the back of the court using his heavy forehand. The World No. 8 has tightened other aspects of his game as well and has no real weaknesses on clay.
All things considered, he should have little trouble downing the mercurial Frenchman and advancing to the quarterfinals.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets.
