TennisSection previews the 2021 Indian Wells Open as Casper Ruud (6) meets Diego Schwartzman (11) in the Round of 16 on Wednesday October 13th, 2021.
Can sixth seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud continue his stellar 2021 season with yet another win? Or can Diego Schwartzman play spoiler and reach his first Quarter-Final at a big tournament for quite some time? The talented pair will do battle in the Round of 16 here at the 2021 Indian Wells Open, and they both will be highly motivated to get the win here. Ruud is looking to cement his place at the Top 8 event in Turin, can he advance to the Quarters?
Casper Ruud is the sixth seed here at the 2021 Indian Wells Open and is currently ranked #10 on the ATP Tour. The Norwegian star has been having a breakout season. already winning a tour-leading five titles including the San Diego Open last week where he crushed Cameron Norrie 6-0, 6-2 in the Final. In this type of form he is considered to have an outside chance of winning the title here at the BNP Paribas Open, but had a rough start against Lloyd Harris, recovering from losing the first set to win a three set thriller. While the score line was not convincing, he showed great restraint and mental fortitude to recover from an incident with a fan that was heckling him and he will be happy to have won. His next opponent Diego Schwartzman will be his toughest test over the past few weeks, and this is setting up to be a very close and interesting match.
Diego Schwartzman is ranked #15 in the world and is the eleventh seed here at the 2021 Indian Wells Open. The Argentinian is one of the most popular and well-respected players on the ATP Tour, and is a very dangerous opponent on any surface. However, after a strong 2020 he has been very inconsistent this season and will be desperate for a strong result here as he aims to finish the year on a high, and break back into the top 10 in the rankings. Like his opponent Casper Ruud, he was stretched to three sets in the Third Round, eventually defeating Dan Evans. He was outstanding in the third set, winning 6-0 in a confidence boosting win after struggling against the unfancied Maxime Cressy in the Second Round, saving two match points in the process. He is the underdog here, but with all his success and experience has a good shot of causing the upset here in Indian Wells.
This will be the seventh meeting between the two players on the ATP Tour, with Schwartzman leading the head to head series 4-2. However, Casper Ruud won their last two meetings, both this year in Monte-Carlo and Cincinnati. Those two straight sets wins and his outstanding year will give Ruud the firm belief that he can win this match, extending his winning streak. Diego Schwartzman is one of the very best players in the world but he has been in poor form lately, with this surface working against him. Casper Ruud is riding a huge wave of confidence and he should dominate this match with his heavy, aggressive groundstrokes. Schwartzman is a fighter and will give it his all, but Ruud will win here, advancing to the Quarter-Finals of the 2021 Indian Wells Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Casper Ruud to win in 2 sets
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