Casper Ruud vs Botic Van De Zandschulp Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Estoril Open

Prediction published on 04/04/2024, 01:18  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 04/04/2024 at 01:18 in Tennis Predictions

Top seed Casper Ruud begins his Estoril Open title defence with a second-round showdown with unseeded Botic van de Zandschulp. A quarterfinal tie with either Marton Fucsovics or Gael Monfils will then await the winner. Casper Ruud begins his clay season with this tournament. The Norwegian is an excellent performer on the surface. Combining this with his strong form is likely to lead to a winning start here. Ruud had quite the debut tournament in Estoril last year as he became the eighth champion here. He now hopes to become the first athlete to win multiple Estoril titles. The 25-year-old has compiled a strong 18-5 record and has recorded two runner-up finishes in Acapulco and Los Cabos. He is coming off a disappointing third-round exit in Miami and since then has dropped two places to 10th in the live ranking. Ruud has defeated van de Zandschulp twice in three encounters on clay.

Botic van de Zandschulp has defeated Ruud three times in their previous five meetings. One of those wins came on a clay surface in Munich two seasons ago. As a player who also fancies playing on clay, van de Zandschulp will be confident of extending his advantage over Ruud. The Dutchman has won over 140 matches on the surface in his career. He defeated Federico Coria in three sets in the first round. This was only his sixth win of the season. Van de Zandchulp has found it hard to get going this season and has lost three more matches than he has won. This form has left him unable to go past the second round in any of the eight tournaments he has participated in. He is now up three places to 84th in the live ranking.