TennisSection previews the 2021 Swedish Open as Casper Ruud (1) meets Roberto Carballes Baena in the Semi-Finals on Saturday July 17th, 2021.
Casper Ruud is the overwhelming favorite for the title here at the 2021 Swedish Open in Bastad, Sweden. The Norwegian has played some fantastic clay-court tennis so far this year and has been unstoppable here this week. Next up in his path is Roberto Carballes Baena, who has a huge task ahead of him here. Can he pull off the massive upset to reach his second ATP Final?
Casper Ruud is currently ranked #16 on the ATP Tour and is the number one seed here at the 2021 Swedish Open. The Norwegian star has had an outstanding season so far this year, and has firmly established himself as one of the finest clay-court players in the world. After winning the title in Geneva, he reached two back to back Masters-1000 Finals in Monte-Carlo and Madrid and will be expecting to win the title here in Bastad. After the shocking exit of Cristian Garin he is the clear-cut favorite here and it will take a massive effort to stop him. His path to the Semis has been very smooth, getting a bye, then defeating Holger Rune for the loss of just two games and then receiving a walkover in the Quarter-Finals. He is the big favorite here against Roberto Carballes Baena and is not expected to encounter many issues.
Roberto Carballes Baena is unseeded here at the 2021 Swedish Open and is currently ranked #97 on the ATP Tour. The Spaniard is a very solid clay court specialist and after a rough season will be delighted to have found form here in Bastad. He has been fantastic here so far, with an impressive upset win over Fabio Fognini in the Round of 16 and a routine straight sets win over Norbert Gombos to reach his first ATP Tour Semi of the year. While he is a very solid baseline player that moves well on the clay, he lacks the firepower that is needed to hit through a top player like Casper Ruud, and he is the massive underdog here.
This will be the second time that the two players are facing each other on the ATP Tour, with Casper Ruud leading the head to head 2-0. They have not played each other since 2018, however I am expecting this result to be the same, and will be a straight sets win for the Norwegian. While Roberto Carballes Baena is a good player, he is nowhere near the level required to defeat Casper Ruud here, as he is inferior in every single aspect. I expect a very quick and comfortable win for Ruud here, and nothing short of a miracle will stop him from winning the title here at the 2021 Swedish Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets
Want more Free Tennis Picks from our Experts? Check out our latest Tennis Predictions now!
Join TopCourt now to learn from some of the best tennis players in the world! Find our exclusive 14-day FREE-trial here!
