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Match details
Fixture: (NOR) Casper Ruud vs (BRA) Thiago Monteiro
Date: January 1, 2023
Tournament: United Cup 2023
Round: Group stage
Venue: Pat Rafter Arena, Brisbane, Australia
Category: United Cup
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $15,000,000
Match timing: (Jan 1) 10 am local time, 12 am GMT, 5:30 am IST, (Dec 31) 7 pm EST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Australia - 9Now & Stan Sport | UK & India - United Cup YouTube channel
Casper Ruud vs Thiago Monteiro preview
World No. 3 Casper Ruud will square off against Thiago Monteiro in the round-robin stage of the 2023 United Cup on Sunday.
Ruud put together a career-best season in 2022. He reached his maiden Grand Slam final at the French Open, but came up short against Rafael Nadal. He also finished as the runner-up at the US Open, losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the summit clash this time.
The Norwegian also lost to the teenager in the final of the Miami Open. Ruud won three titles, all at the ATP 250 level and on clay. Towards the end of the season, his results were starting to decline, but he rebounded at the ATP Finals. He defeated Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime to make the last four, but lost his final group tie against Nadal.
Ruud defeated Andrey Rublev in the semifinals, but couldn't manage to get the better of Novak Djokovic in the final.
Monteiro, meanwhile, started his United Cup campaign against Matteo Berrettini on Friday. Neither player got a whiff of a break point for most of the first set. The Italian gained the upper hand in the final game of the set, breaking his opponent's serve to clinch it.
Both remained strong on serve in the second set, leading to a tie-break. Monteiro led 6-4 and held a couple of set points, but was unable to close it out. Berrettini turned the tables on his opponent to capture the tie-break and defeat the Brazilian 6-4, 7-6 (7).
Casper Ruud vs Thiago Monteiro head-to-head
Ruud leads Monteiro 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2019 Brasil Open in straight sets.
Casper Ruud vs Thiago Monteiro odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Casper Ruud vs Thiago Monteiro prediction
Monteiro had his chances to stretch the match against Berrettini into the third set, but faltered when it came down to the wire. While he can compete with higher-ranked players, he fails to put them under any sort of pressure.
Monteiro also prefers playing on clay, which suits his brand of tennis. Although Ruud has also enjoyed most of his success on the red dirt, he has stepped up his game on hardcourts as well. The Norwegian has worked on his weaknesses and tweaked his game considerably for better results.
Ruud's backhand has become a bit of a weapon and his serve's reliable too. His overall consistency, coupled with a fairly decent attacking style from time to time, makes him a tough player to wear down. The Norwegian will be the heavy favorite to win this contest and should be able to breeze past Monteiro.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets.
