TennisSection previews the 2021 Indian Wells Open as Casper Ruud (6) meets Roberto Carballes Baena in the Second Round on Saturday October 9th, 2021.
Sixth seeded Casper Ruud begins his 2021 Indian Wells Open campaign with a Second Round encounter against Roberto Carballes Baena. The Norwegian star has been having an outstanding year, and should be considered a dark horse contender to win this event due to his recent form. This match looks like a mismatch on paper, but at this this level nothing is easy and the Spaniard is a solid player. Can he produce the best tennis of his life to cause the stunning upset?
Casper Ruud is a new entrant into the ATP top 10 rankings, and currently is at #10. The sixth seeded Norwegian has been having a fine season, and has won a world-leading 5 titles this year. While he considers clay his best surface, he has been having some strong results on the hard courts, including a dominant win at the San Diego Open last week. He has really improved in all areas, but the serve in particular has been key in his rise in the rankings. He has always been an elite mover, and his consistent and powerful groundstrokes are huge weapons on this surface. Ruud is the huge favorite here against Roberto Carballes Baena and it would be a huge shock to see anything other than a straight-sets victory here at the 2021 Indian Wells Open.
Roberto Carballes Baena is unseeded here at the 2021 Indian Wells Open and is ranked #85 on the ATP Tour. The Spaniard enters this event in fine form, reaching the Final last week at the Murcia Open. However, that event was on clay, and this is a whole different level here at a Masters-1000 event. He is a solid and consistent baseline player, who is much better equipped to play on the slower clay surface as he is here. His opponent Casper Ruud is one of the best players in the world on all surfaces, so there are not many that would give the Spaniard much of a chance here.
This will be the fourth meeting between the two players on the ATP Tour, with Ruud leading the head to head 3-0. This is a very easy match to predict, and will have no other result other than a straight-sets win for the Norwegian star. Simply put, he is a much better player than his opponent Roberto Carballes Baena, and what makes it even more skewed in his favor is the surface. This match will be over in a hurry, with Casper Ruud dominating from start to finish, advancing to the Third Round here at the 2021 Indian Wells Open. Ruud is considered to have an outside chance to win this event and I think he will stamp his authority here, advancing with ease.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Casper Ruud to win in 2 sets
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