Montreal Masters 2022: Casper Ruud vs. Hubert Hurkacz Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Montreal Open as Casper Ruud takes on Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals on Saturday, August 13th, 2022.

Will Casper Ruud get the win? Will Hubert Hurkacz pull off the upset? This will be a fascinating one, where we have the two top players left in the draw fighting over a final spot. Who will triumph and move on to the finals at the 2022 Montreal Open?

Casper Ruud got a very good win over home-town hero Felix Auger-Aliassime, taking him out 6-1 6-2. Although FAA didn’t put up the best performance, Ruud played very well, handling his backhand better than I’ve ever seen him do, as well as ripping his forehand with constant aggression, on top of a brilliant serving performance. As he heads into this one with Hubert Hurkacz, he’s going to have a tough battle ahead of him. Hurkacz has been serving really consistently, and while I don’t expect Hubert to outhit Casper from the back of the court by any means, breaking serve is going to be a very strenuous task for the 4th seed who aims to make his 2nd career masters series final here at the 2022 Montreal Open.

Hubert Hurkacz took down Nick Kyrgios in a highly anticipated match, really amping up his level from previous performances, playing 2 tiebreakers and leveling it off with a breadstick in the third. While Kyrgios began to wither away quickly in the match due to his exhaustion, Hurkacz definitely played his best tennis of the week. He’s not coming into this clash against Casper Ruud the favorite, but he most certainly has a fair share of the stake here, looking to advance to the finals of the 2022 Montreal Open where he will bid for a 2nd career masters title.

Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz have met once before, with Casper Ruud leading the head to head 1-0. Their one meeting came at this year’s Roland Garros, with Ruud winning in 4 sets. Now, that was on clay, Ruud will be the heavy favorite any day. Here on a hard court though, Hurkacz’s first strike game and service game will be far more effective. While I do expect for Ruud to grind this one out and get a big win to propel himself into a final spot, it’s gonna be a battle at the 2022 Montreal Open.