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Fixture: (3) Daniil Medvedev vs Emil Ruusuvuori.
Date: May 13, 2023.
Tournament: Italian Open 2023.
Round: Second Round (Round of 64).
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 | India - Sony Liv.
Daniil Medvedev vs Emil Ruusuvuori preview
After a first-round bye, 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev will square off against Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round of the 2023 Italian Open on Saturday.
Medvedev kicked off his clay season at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He defeated Lorenzo Sonego and Alexander Zverev to make the last eight. Up against Holger Rune in the quarterfinals, the Russian suffered a straight-sets loss. He then withdrew from the Barcelona Open.
Medvedev's Madrid Open challenge commenced with a routine win over Andrea Vavassori. He then needed three sets to get past Alexander Shevchenko. The former World No. 1 faced Aslan Karatsev in the fourth round, but lost to him in two competitive sets.
Ruusuvuori, meanwhile, was drawn against Ugo Humbert in the first round here. The Finn went down an early break to trail 3-0 in the opening set, but then bagged the next five games to go 5-3 up and closed out the set soon after that.
Humbert snagged an early break of serve in the second set as well. This time the Frenchman didn't squander his lead and went on to take the set. The third set featured quite a few momentum shifts.
Humbert once again was the first to secure a lead as he went 2-0 up. Ruusuvuori claimed the next four games, followed by the Frenchman sweeping the next three to lead 5-4.
Humbert served for the contest at this point and even held a match point, but Ruusuvuori managed to secure a break of serve. The set soon went into a tie-break, with the Finn saving another match point and coming out on top to win 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (6).
Daniil Medvedev vs Emil Ruusuvuori head-to-head
Medvedev leads Ruusuvuori 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 Astana Open in straight sets.
Daniil Medvedev vs Emil Ruusuvuori odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Daniil Medvedev vs Emil Ruusuvuori prediction
Ruusuvuori held his nerve as he saved a couple of match points during his first-round win over Humbert. Some strong serving at crucial moments coupled with optimal shot selection helped him outlast the Frenchman.
There's a huge gulf between Medvedev and Ruusuvuori's skills and accomplishments. However, given the Russian's rather lukewarm results on clay, his opponents always have a shot at besting him on the red dirt.
Medvedev is particularly vulnerable in Rome, as he's yet to win a match at the venue. It did take him a while to get going at the French Open as well, finally registering his first win in Paris on his fifth attempt.
Ruusuvuori is a capable player on clay and just a couple of weeks ago he pushed Carlos Alcaraz to three sets in Madrid. However, he has struggled against quality players, having lost 10 consecutive matches against players ranked in the top 10.
This is a contest that could swing either way, but considering Medvedev's consistency, he'll be favored to come through this clash.
Pick: Daniil Medvedev to win in three sets.
