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Fixture: (1) Carlos Alcaraz vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Date: Friday, April 28
Tournament: Madrid Masters 2023
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Category: Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €7,705,780
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Carlos Alcaraz vs Emil Ruusuvuori preview
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz launches his Madrid Masters title defense against Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori on Friday.
The World No. 2 is in sublime form, coming off his third title of the season at Barcelona last week. The Spanish teenager is now an impressive 23-2 on the season and is 6-1 in Madrid.
Having made a belated start to the season, Alcaraz went all the way at his first stop at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires. The Spaniard's winning start to the year was snapped by Cameron Norrie in the Rio de Janeiro final, though.
Alcaraz returned to winning ways at Indian Wells, where he won his second title of the year and third Masters 1000 title. After making the Miami semifinal (lost to Jannik Sinner), the former World No. 1 is riding a five-match win streak following his successful title defense in Barcelona.
Meanwhile, the 41st-ranked Ruusuvuori improved to 14-11 in 2023 after beating Frenchman Ugo Humbert in two tiebreaks. The 24-year-old is coming off a Round of 16 run at Barcelona last week.
Ruusuvuori's best result this year was a quarterfinal run in Miami before he lost to Jannik Sinner. He's 3-1 on clay this year and is off the mark in Madrid on his tournament debut.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Emil Ruusuvuori head-to-head
Alcaraz lost the pair's lone meeting in the Miami Open opening round two years ago. They haven't met on clay yet.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Emil Ruusuvuori odds
(All odds as per BETMGM)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Emil Ruusuvuori prediction
Both Alcaraz and Ruusuvuori are quintessential baseliners, but the Spaniard takes a clear edge because of his aggressive and consistent game, especially on clay.
Alcaraz can serve and hit big, has elite athleticism and penchant to hit winners from seemingly inconceivable angles. He isn't averse to ending points at the net to keep his opponent guessing. Ruusuvuori has most of these attributes, but consistency is not his forte.
Moreover, Alcaraz is a beast on clay, winning 52 of his 64 matches, including six titles. Meanwhile, Ruusuvuori is only 12-17 on the surface. The Finn might have beaten Alcaraz in their lone meeting, but Alcaraz is a much improved player.
In the absence of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the Spaniard is almost a runaway favorite for the title. He should have no problems seeing off Ruusuvuori.
Pick: Alcaraz in straight sets
