TennisSection previews the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters as Diego Schwartzman (7) meets Casper Ruud in the Second Round on Wednesday, April 14th 2021.
Will Casper Ruud come out here ready to dominate as he did for the majority of last week in Andalucia and in his First Round match here in Monte-Carlo? Will Diego Schwartzman show us his amazing clay-court tennis now that he is back on his favourite surface as he aims to reach the same heights he achieved in these conditions last year? Both players are great players in these conditions and they will be very determined to give it their best to make their way to the Third Round of the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters, but only one will. Who will it be?
Casper Ruud put on a superb performance in the First Round, beating the up and coming Holger Rune in straight sets 6-2/6-1. Ruud has been in great form on clay in the last week or so, reaching the Quarter-finals of the 2021 Andalucia Open. Casper Ruud has a lot of positive aspects to his game in these conditions as he is able to move around the court much faster than any other surface, and he has been brought up on these surfaces. Ruud will be very confident with his first round victory, and the fact that he has trained over the last few weeks with Rafael Nadal in these conditions to get his game up to speed. However, he will also have to be very wary that he is now meeting a clay-court expert in Diego Schwartzman, and he will have to be at his absolute best if he is to cause the upset.
Diego Schwartzman will be very excited to be back here at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters and on clay, especially as he had both a great 2020 season on this surface, as well as winning a title this year in these conditions as well. Last year, Diego got the biggest victory of his career under his belt, beating Rafael Nadal at the Rome Masters and making his way to the Final, and not long ago this year, he won the Argentina Open in his home country. Diego is very successful in these conditions as he does not have to rely on his serve, but rather can get a lot of points won through long and opponent draining rallies. Diego has already won a match here in Monte-Carlo in the doubles with his friend Fabio Fognini, and he will want to keep this momentum going by beating Casper Ruud in the singles.
Diego Schwartzman and Casper Ruud have met 4 times before, with Diego Schwartzman leading the head to head 4-0. The last time they met was in the Second Round of the 2020 Cincinatti Masters where Diego won in straight sets 7-6(2)/6-3. Schwartzman is of course the better player coming into this match, and in my opinion he will win this one. However, do not underestimate Casper Ruud’s ability to push the match to the limit and force Diego to raise his level even further here. Ruud has so much power, and Diego is able to return so well. This is going to be tight, perhaps a 3-setter with a tiebreak finish, but Diego Schwartzman should come through in the end.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Diego Schwartzman to Win.
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