Geneva Open 2024: Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (2) Casper Ruud vs (5) Sebastian Baez

Date: May 23, 2024

Tournament: Geneva Open 2024

Round: Quarterfinal

Venue: Tennis Club de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Clay

Prize money: £562,815

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports

Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez preview

Second seed Casper Ruud will square off against Sebastian Baez in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Geneva Open on Thursday.

After a first-round bye, Ruud was up against qualifier Sebastian Ofner in the second round. The Norwegian let go of an early lead, which eventually cost him the first set. It marked the first time Ofner won a set against a top-10 player.

Ruud didn't waste any time in getting back on track and raised his level even further. He broke Ofner's serve twice in each of the next two sets to register a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 comeback win.

Baez, meanwhile, secured a 7-6 (7), 6-3 win over Sumit Nagal in his opener to set up a second-round date with Roberto Carballes Baena. The Argentine found himself in a spot of bother early in the first set but saved three break points to hold serve.

Carballes Baena rued those missed opportunities, as Baez broke his serve in the next game to go 3-2 up. He saved three more break points in the eighth game and broke his opponent once again to take the set.

The Argentine ran away with the match after that, as he didn't concede another game for a 6-3, 6-0 victory.

Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez head-to-head

Ruud leads Baez 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2023 Hamburg Open in three sets.

Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Casper Ruud	-250	+1.5 (-650)	Over 21.5 (-130)
Sebastian Baez	+180	-1.5 (+360)	Under 21.5 (-110)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez prediction

Sebastian Baez at the 2024 Italian Open.

A small misstep led to the first set slipping out of Ruud's grasp, but he fought back to avoid a third consecutive loss. Baez, meanwhile, faced some resistance from Carballes Baena in the first set but eventually won in convincing fashion.

Baez has a 19-6 record on clay this season, but only five of those wins have come on European clay. A bulk of his victories came during the South American clay swing earlier in the season, including his title-winning runs in Rio de Janeiro and Santiago.

Ruud's record on clay stands at 14-4 in 2024. He started off well but was eliminated early at the Italian Open, losimg in the second round. However, he has won the Geneva Open twice and has performed well here.

Ruud has won both of his previous matches against Baez, which were on clay as well. The latter has a disappointing 1-14 record against top-10 opposition, which doesn't bode well for his chances.

The Norwegian will be expected to continue his run in Geneva, given his opponent's track record.

Pick: Casper Ruud to win in three sets

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

Know More

Edited by Rohit