US Open 2023: Casper Ruud vs Emilio Nava preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Fixture: (5) Casper Ruud vs (Q) Emilio Nava

Tournament: US Open 2023

Date: Tuesday, August 29

Round: First Round (Round of 128)

Venue: New York, USA

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Hardcourt

Prize money: $65,000,000

Live telecast:- USA: ESPN | UK: Sky Sports | Australia: Nine Network | Canada: TSN | India & South Asia: Sony Sports Network

Casper Ruud vs Emilio Nava preview

Fifth seed Casper Ruud will open his bid for a maiden Grand Slam title against American qualifier Emilio Nava.

After a slow start to the season, World No. 5 Ruud is getting back into his groove but arrives at Flushing Meadows off an unconvincing North American hardcourt swing.

The three-time Grand Slam finalist exited in the Round of 16 at the Canadian Open before stumbling in the opening round in Cincinnati. He's now 29-17 on the season.

Ruud clinched his lone title of the year in Estoril and lost in the final at Roland Garros and Geneva. Yet to reach a hardcourt quarterfinal in 2023, the Norwegian has a 9-5 record at the US Open, with six of those wins coming during his run to the final (lost to Carlos Alcaraz).

Meanwhile, the 154th-ranked Nava hasn't played much on tour this year, winning only one of his four matches. That lone win came at Miami, beating John Isner. He has performed well on the Challenger Tour, though, winning Modena and reaching the Stanford final.

The 21-year-old has a 1-2 record at Flushing Meadows, with that win (against John Millman) coming last year. Nava had to come through qualifying to make the main draw this year, dropping a set in three matches.

Casper Ruud vs Emilio Nava head-to-head

The two players haven't locked horns before, so their head-to-head record reads 0-0.

Casper Ruud vs Emilio Nava odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Casper Ruud
Emilio Nava

The odds will be updated when they release.

Casper Ruud vs Emilio Nava prediction

Nava is looking to reach the second round for the second time.

Both Ruud and Nava like to dominate opponents from the back of the court and have similar game styles. Both are not necessarily the biggest servers or most powerful hitters of the ball but move well.

Ruud, though, takes the edge because of his superior experience, consistency and pedigree, especially on hardcourt, where he has a 74-58 record and one title. Nava, meanwhile, has won only two of his 10 matches on the surface.

The 2022 finalist may not reach the final again this year, but he should have enough in his arsenal to beat Nava.

Pick: Ruud in straight sets.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Ankush Das