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Match details
Fixture: (4) Jiri Vesely vs (6) Emil Ruusuvuori
Date: 4 February 2022
Tournament: Tata Open Maharashtra
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Pune, India
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $493,875
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
Jiri Vesely vs Emil Ruusuvuori preview
Defending champion Jiri Vesely will lock horns with sixth seed Emil Ruusuvuori in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Maharashtra Open on Friday.
Vesely booked his spot in the last eight with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Bernabe Zapata Miralles on Thursday. While the Czech was in total control of the match for the most part, he stumbled a little while trying to close it out. He stepped up at 5-3 to serve for the match, but got broken. However, the 28-year-old immediately broke back to win the match.
This was Vesely's first win of the year, having lost in the opening rounds of the Adelaide International, Sydney Tennis Classic and the Australian Open last month.
Emil Ruusuvuori, meanwhile, reached his second quarterfinal of the year by defeating Vit Kopriva 6-3, 6-3 in the second round. He started the match on a strong note, quickly racing to a 4-0 lead. However, Kopriva fought his way back into the match by winning the next three games.
Serving at 3-4, he lost serve once again to fall behind 3-5. The sixth seed closed out the set, though he needed four set points to do so. Ruusuvuori put up a better performance in the second set, breaking his opponent's serve twice to claim the set and win the match.
Jiri Vesely vs Emil Ruusuvuori head-to-head
Ruusuvuori leads 1-0 in the head-to-head, having won their only meeting 6-3, 7-6(4) at 2021 Antalya Open.
Jiri Vesely vs Emil Ruusuvuori prediction
Given how they've played so far this year, Ruusuvuori will have the upper hand going into this contest. But the Czech is a tricky player to compete against. He's got a great lefty serve that helps him win plenty of free points. In his second round match, Vesely hit 13 aces and won 85% of his first-serve points. Ruusuvuori, on the other hand, managed just three aces and won 69% of his first-serve points.
Vesely isn't always consistent from the baseline, which could play into Ruusuvuori's hands. The Finn has only lost to top-10 players -- Rafael Nadal and Felix Auger-Aliassime -- this year, which will give him plenty of confidence.
Prediction: Emil Ruusuvuori to win in three sets.
