Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Estoril Open

Prediction published on 07/04/2023, 06:29  by Kennedy Kechula | Modified on 07/04/2023 at 07:19 in Tennis Predictions

Fifth seeded Sebastian Baez continues his defence of the Estoril Open. He takes on the top seeded Casper Ruud in the last eight of this outdoor clay court tournament. Last year saw Baez make his debut in Estoril and he's yet to lose a match here. He has started this year’s championship with the vigour of a defending champion and has won his two matches by straight sets. This is however the first match that he is coming up against a fellow-seeded player so it will be interesting to see how he fares. The Argentine prefers playing on clay more than any other surface. He has dominated most of his matchups this season on clay, winning 10 of the 13 matches he has played thus far. It is therefore no coincidence that he won the title in Cordoba and made it through to the semifinals in Santiago.

World number five Casper Ruud is ranked considerably higher than Baez who is 32nd in the world but he has come nowhere close to the form that the Argentine is in this season. The Norwegian has struggled for consistency and has lost half of the 12 matches he has played. He will hope that his debut in Estoril is a memorable one and allows him to kickstart his season. Though he won his first match against the wildcard Joao Sousa, he struggled against a player ranked 142 places below him and had to come back from a set down to win. Though a strong performer on clay, Ruud will have to be at his optimum best if he is to end Baez’s title defence.