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Match details
Fixture: (3) Casper Ruud vs Diego Schwartzman
Date: March 10, 2023
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Indian Wells, California, USA
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $8,800,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Casper Ruud vs Diego Schwartzman preview
World No. 4 Casper Ruud will square off against Diego Schwartzman in the second round of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open on Friday.
Ruud started the year by representing his country in the United Cup. He won his singles tie against Thiago Monteiro, but lost to Matteo Berrettini. As a result, Norway failed to make it past the group stage.
Ruud's Australian Open campaign was rather brief as well. He crashed out in the second round with a four-set defeat to Jenson Brooksby.
The 24-year-old returned to action a month later in Acapulco for the Mexican Open. Ruud needed three sets to get past qualifier Guido Andreozzi, ranked outside the top 300. He faced Taro Daniel in the second round, against whom he slumped to a three-set defeat.
As the third seed at the BNP Paribas Open, Ruud received a first-round bye.
Schwartzman, meanwhile, faced compatriot Federico Coria in the first round at Indian Wells. The opening set was quite one-sided, with the former claiming it for the loss of just one game. The second set played out in similar fashion as well.
Schwartzman jumped to a 5-0 lead, but failed to close out the proceedings on his first attempt. Coria put up a fight by bagging two games in a row to make it 5-2. The World No. 38 broke his opponent's serve once again to win the match 6-1, 6-2.
Casper Ruud vs Diego Schwartzman head-to-head
Schwartzman leads Ruud 5-3 in the head-to-head. The latter won their previous encounter at the 2022 Argentina Open in three sets.
Casper Ruud vs Diego Schwartzman odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Casper Ruud vs Diego Schwartzman prediction
Schwartzman's first-round win over Coria was just his second of the year and helped him end a five-match losing streak as well. Ruud hasn't performed any better as he has three victories to his name this season.
With both players in rather poor form, this contest could swing either way. Schwartzman does have a winning record against Ruud, but the latter has won three of their last four meetings.
The Argentine's consistency initially proved too difficult for Ruud to handle, but over the last couple of years he has managed to overcome that obstacle. However, the World No. 4 is battling some demons of his own at the moment.
Ruud seems to have regressed a bit in his gameplay, with his groundstrokes going awry during critical moments. Schwartzman has made a great start at Indian Wells and if he's able to maintain this level, the Norwegian could find it tough to keep up with him.
Ruud's past results, coupled with his current ranking, give him a slight edge heading into this encounter. However, it wouldn't be surprising to see Schwartzman triumph either in this evenly matched battle.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in three sets.
