TennisSection previews the 2021 Acapulco Open as Alexander Zverev (2) meets Casper Ruud (8) in the Quarter-Finals on Thursday March 18th, 2021.
This is a battle between two of the top young players on the ATP Tour. Alexander Zverev of Germany is the second seed here at the 2021 Acapulco Open, and has firmly established himself as a tennis superstar. Norwegian Casper Ruud is a year younger than the German at 22, and has been rapidly climbing in the rankings. Can the eighth seeded Ruud cause what would be a shocking upset here in Mexico? Or will Zverev build on his strong start to the year with a victory here. Who will win and advance to the Semi-Finals?
Alexander Zverev is currently ranked number 7 in the ATP world rankings and #2 seed here. He has a huge serve and versatile game, making him a threat on every surface. The German #1 has gotten off to a decent start so far in 2021, with a good showing at the ATP Cup and the Australian Open. He had a hiccup in Rotterdam, and will be eager to have a strong showing here to compensate for that. Zverev has been in strong form so far here in Mexico, dispatching Carlos Alcaraz and Laslo Djere both in straight sets. He is serving extremely well, dominating his opponents from the baseline by being a bit more aggressive than usual – to great effect. He enters this match against Casper Ruud as the overwhelming favorite, and will be very confident of reaching the Semi-Finals here at the 2021 Acapulco Open.
Casper Ruud is the Norwegian #1, and is seeded eighth here at the 2021 Acapulco Open. Primarily known as a clay courter, he had some strong results on hard courts over the past few years and has established himself in the top 30. He is coming off an injury, and does not quite look at his best. After a straight sets win in the First Round over Daniel Galan, he was surprisingly taken to three sets by Tallon Griekspoor, narrowly winning in a third set tiebreaker. Ruud is a very solid baseline player, not giving much away from the baseline. His main strength is his movement, which is clearly still a bit sluggish after the injury. He is the underdog here against the in-form Alexander Zverev, and will have to be at his absolute best to win here.
The two players have never faced each other, and the head to head stands at 0-0. I expect this match to have only one outcome, and that is a straight-sets win for Alexander Zverev. If Ruud was a bit more match fit and had some recent tournaments under his belt that would not necessarily be the case, but he is clearly not 100% at the moment. Zverev is one of the best players in the world this year, and is playing some dominant tennis. Ruud’s defense is sure to pose a challenge to the German #1, but expect him to pass that test comfortably. Alexander Zverev will win and advance to the Semi-Finals here at the 2021 Acapulco Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in straight sets.
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