TennisSection previews the 2021 Madrid Open as Casper Ruud meets Alexander Bublik in the Quarter-Finals on Friday May 7th, 2021.
Can the unseeded Alexander Bublik continue his fantastic form here at the 2021 Madrid Open by causing yet another upset? Or will the Monte-Carlo Semi-Finalist Casper Ruud get the win as he seeks for his second consecutive Masters-1000 Semi? An exciting match is expected, who will win and advance here in Madrid?
Casper Ruud is currently ranked a career-high #24 in the ATP world rankings after his surprise run to the Semi-Finals in Monte-Carlo. He has carried that fine form here into the 2021 Madrid Masters, most notably with a stunning upset victory over Monte-Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Round of 16. The Norwegian has a huge baseline game, with heavy groundstrokes from both sides and is an elite mover on the clay surface. With this type of momentum he is the firm favorite here against Alexander Bublik, and will be expected to advance to his second consecutive ATP-1000 Semi-Final.
Alexander Bublik is unseeded here at the 2021 Madrid Open, and is currently ranked #44 in the world. Once better known for his on-court antics than his tennis talent, he has matured greatly as a player, and has had some great results recently. The Kazakh star has been outstanding so far here at the 2021 Madrid Open, defeating Marton Fucsovics, Denis Shapovalov and Aslan Karatsev en route to the Quarter-Finals. He was considered the underdog in each of those matches, but showed remarkable focus to overcome the odds. Bublik enters this match against Casper Ruud as the underdog, but he has shown that he has the talent to keep up with the top players. While he isn’t favored to win here, he is sure to make things difficult for Ruud with his unique style.
This will be the second meeting between the two players throughout their careers, with Casper Ruud leading the head to head series 1-0. They faced each other in 2019 in St. Petersburg, with the Norwegian winning in three tight sets. This is a difficult match to call due to Alexander Bublik’s unpredictability, but the smart money is on Casper Ruud here. He is one of the very best clay court players in the world, and has been in fantastic form since his return to the tour from injury. Bublik certainly has the quality to keep it close and can’t be totally discounted, but I expect the Norwegian to be too much for him to handle. I expect that Casper Ruud will win in two very hard fought sets, advancing to the Semi-Finals here at the 2021 Madrid Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Casper Ruud to win.
Want more Free Tennis Picks from our Experts? Check out our latest Tennis Predictions now!
