Tennis Prediction Alexei Popyrin vs Casper Ruud: Geneve

Genève 🇨🇭

• We are in Geneva, on clay at altitude, with a court that plays relatively fast, and these are typically conditions that can allow Popyrin to stay in touch longer than expected.

• The Australian is coming off a very nice 2-set win over Taylor Fritz, a victory that has surely done him a lot of good in terms of confidence.

• And above all, he has exactly the weapons capable of bothering Ruud in this context: a very big serve, a huge forehand, a lot of power from the first shots.

• In fast conditions, he can quickly take control of the rallies and prevent the Norwegian from establishing his usual rhythm.

• This is also why I really like the exact score 2-2 after the first two service games.

• I expect to see the two players extremely solid behind their serve at the start of the match, with few break point opportunities in the early games.

• And in their two previous meetings, this type of scenario has already occurred. At 1.72, I find that it's clearly worth a try.

• As for the +4.5 games, here too I have a hard time not looking at Popyrin's side.

• I am still surprised by Casper Ruud's schedule, after a Masters 1000 final in Rome, to see him line up immediately on an ATP 250 in Geneva just days before Roland-Garros remains surprising.

• Especially since Carlos Alcaraz's withdrawal potentially opens up very nice prospects in the Parisian draw.

• So I wouldn't be surprised to see a Ruud more focused on building rhythm than on total domination today.

• And against a player like Popyrin, capable of chaining aces and winners in these conditions, the slightest lapse can be enough to make the match very tight.