Miami Open 2022: Casper Ruud vs Francisco Cerundolo preview, head-to-head and prediction

Match details

Fixture: (6) Casper Ruud vs Francisco Cerundolo

Date: 1 April 2022

Tournament: Miami Open

Round: Semifinals

Venue: Miami, Florida, USA

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: $8,584,055

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Voot

Casper Ruud vs Francisco Cerundolo preview

Casper Ruud will look to reach his first Masters 1000 final

Sixth seed Casper Ruud will take on Francisco Cerundolo in the semifinals of the Miami Masters on Friday.

The Norwegian started the 2022 season strongly by winning two out of his three singles matches in the ATP Cup, but was unable to lead his nation to the semifinals of the team competition. After missing the Australian Open due to an ankle injury, Ruud competed in the Argentina Open as the top seed and reached the final after beating Roberto Carballes Baena, Federico Coria and Federico Delbonis.

He returned from a set down in the final to beat second seed Diego Schwartzman and win his seventh ATP title.

Ruud then represented Norway in the Davis Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan. He beat Mikhail Kukushkin but lost to Alexander Bublik as Norway crashed out of the competition.

The 23-year-old then suffered a third-round exit at the Indian Wells Masters after losing to Nick Kyrgios in straight sets.

Seeded sixth at the Miami Masters, Ruud reached the quarterfinals after straight-sets victories over Henri Laaksonen, Alexander Bublik and Cameron Norrie. He then beat Alexander Zverev in three sets to book his place in the semifinals.

Cerundolo, meanwhile, qualified for the main draw of the Adelaide International 1 but lost in the first round to Gianluca Mager. He then failed to qualify for the Australian Open.

The 23-year-old suffered an opening-round elimination at the Cordoba Open before reaching the quarterfinals of the Argentina Open. He then reached the semifinals of the Rio Open after beating Benoit Paire, Roberto Carballes Baena and Miomir Kecmanovic. However, he lost to Diego Schwartzman.

After failing to qualify for Indian Wells, Cerundolo made his first appearance in a Masters 1000 tournament in Miami. The Argentine started with a victory over Tallon Griekspoor and followed it up with wins over Reilly Opelka, Gael Monfils and Frances Tiafoe to reach the quarterfinals.

Cerundolo advanced to his maiden Masters 1000 semifinal after Jannik Sinner was forced to retire due to foot blisters.

Casper Ruud vs Francisco Cerundolo head-to-head

Friday's match in Miami will be the very first meeting between Ruud and Cerundolo, so their head-to-head is 0-0.

Casper Ruud vs Francisco Cerundolo prediction

Ruud will be the heavy favorite considering his recent form. The Norwegian has won 11 out of 14 matches in 2022 so far. However, Cerundolo has beaten a number of higher-ranked players in Miami and cannot be written off.

Ruud's favorite surface is clay but he has improved massively on hardcourt over the past year. Since the start of 2021, the 23-year-old has won 39 out of 52 matches on the surface, winning the San Diego Open and reaching the semifinals of the ATP Finals last year.

The Norwegian has a solid kick serve and consistent and accurate groundstrokes which will no doubt make things difficult for Cerundolo. Ruud's topspin forehand is something he will rely on to dictate play from the baseline.

The Argentine, on his part, will look to put pressure on Ruud with his powerful forehand. He also has a pretty decent serve, although it is much more suited to clay.

Cerundolo has had a very good run in Miami but that might just come to an end on Friday, with Ruud advancing to his maiden Masters 1000 final.

Prediction: Ruud to win in straight sets.