Maharashtra Open 2022: Emil Ruusuvuori vs Kamil Majchrzak preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (6) Emil Ruusuvuori vs Kamil Majchrzak

Date: 5 February 2022

Tournament: Tata Open Maharashtra

Round: Semifinal

Venue: Pune, India

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: $493,875

Match timing: 3.30 pm local time, 10 am GMT, 6 am ET

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Star Sports, Jio TV and Disney Plus | Official Facebook, Twitter pages and YouTube channel of the Maharashtra Open

Emil Ruusuvuori vs Kamil Majchrzak preview

Sixth seed Emil Ruusuvuori will battle Poland's Kamil Majchrzak in the semifinals of the 2022 Maharashtra Open on Saturday.

Ruusuvuori registered a 6-3, 6-4 win over defending champion Jiri Vesely in the quarterfinals. He secured an early break in the opening set to take a 3-0 lead, and maintained his advantage. The second set mirrored the first, with the Finn racing to a 3-1 lead.

Vesely showed some fight as he saved a match point at 5-3, but Ruusuvuori closed out the proceedings in the next game to progress to his second semifinal of the season.

Kamil Majchrzak at the 2022 Australian Open.

Kamil Majchrzak, meanwhile, knocked out second seed Lorenzo Musetti with a 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4 win in the quarterfinals. The Pole didn't drop serve even once during the two-hour tussle.

Majchrzak dismantled the Italian in the opening set, but Musetti fought back in the second, winning it in a tie-break.

The deciding set was a close affair. Serving at 4-4, Musetti saved one breakpoint, but Majchrzak converted on his second attempt to take control of the match.

The Pole stepped up to the line, but fell behind 15-40. He saved the two breakpoints he faced and finally closed out the match on his third matchpoint.

Emil Ruusuvuori vs Kamil Majchrzak head-to-head

The two have faced off once before, with Ruusuvuori leading 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their only encounter 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 at the 2021 US Open.

Emil Ruusuvuori vs Kamil Majchrzak prediction

Emil Ruusuvuori at the 2021 Atlanta Open.

Both players have made similar starts to the 2022 season. Ruusuvuori reached the semifinals of the Melbourne Summer Set and lost in the first round at the Australian Open.

Majchrzak, representing Poland, reached the semifinals of the ATP Cup after winning all three of his group matches. But he couldn't compete in the semifinals as he tested positive for COVID-19. He then lost in the second round of the Australian Open.

Both players are aiming to reach their first ATP tour final and will leave everything out on court. Ruusuvuori certainly has more weapons than the Pole. He has a steady backhand and a powerful forehand that he uses to dictate points. Majchrzak, on the other hand, is more of a counter-puncher.

The Finn has been in a semifinal before and that experience might just turn the tide in his favor on Saturday.

Prediction: Emil Ruusuvuori 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.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram