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Fixture: (4) Casper Ruud vs (24) Francisco Cerundolo
Date: Wednesday, May 17
Tournament: Italian Open 2023
Round: Quarter-final
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Category: Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €7,705,780
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Casper Ruud vs Francisco Cerundolo
Fourth seed Casper Ruud will take on 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo as he eyes back-to-back semi-finals at the Italian Open.
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In arguably his most emphatic claycourt performance of the season, the World No. 4 Ruud dished out a masterclass against Serbia's Laslo Djere. In a rather lopsided contest spanning 70 minutes, the Norwegian conceded only four games in the entire match.
After conceding three games in the opener, Ruud pulled off five straight games from 2-1 in the second to return to the Rome quarter-finals for the second straight year. The former World No. 2 leaked just nine unforced errors and broke his opponent five times to improve to 14-9 on the season.
Coming off his first title of the season in Estoril, Ruud is looking close to his best at the Foro Italico after early exits in Monte-Carlo (third round) and Madrid (second round). The two-time semi-finalist is now 12-3 at the Italian Open, dropping just one set, en route to the last eight.
Meanwhile, the 31st-ranked Cerundolo pulled off a Houdini act for the third straight match - recovering from a set down to upset eighth seed, Jannik Sinner. After the Italian took the opener for the loss of just three games, Cerundolo forced a decider by taking the second in a tiebreak.
In the third, it was all Cerundolo, conceding two games, as he reached his first Foro Italico quarterfinal to improve to 17-12 on the season.
Casper Ruud vs Francisco Cerundolo head-to-head
Ruud has won only one of his three meetings with Cerundolo, losing the pair's both claycourt meetings - including their last clash in the Barcelona second round this year.
Casper Ruud vs Francisco Cerundolo odds
(All odds as per BETMGM)
Casper Ruud vs Francisco Cerundolo prediction
Both Ruud and Cerundolo are quintessential baseliners and play their best tennis on clay. Both players have similar game styles - strong serve, powerful hitting off either flank and good movement.
However, Ruud takes the edge because of his superior experience and pedigree, especially on red dirt. The Norwegian is 108-40 on clay, winning nine of his 10 titles on the surface. Meanwhile, Cerundolo is 29-23, winning one title.
The two players have had contrasting runs into the last eight. While Ruud has looked sublime - dropping one set in three matches - Cerundolo has dropped the opener in all three matches.
Exhaustion is likely to be a factor for the Argentine, so Ruud should take this one, despite never beating Cerundolo on clay.
Pick: Ruud in three sets
