Dubai Championships: Ruusuvuori vs O'Connell Tennis Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2023 Dubai Championships as Emil Ruusuvuori takes on Christopher O’Connell in the first round on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

Can Christopher O’Connell build on his recent top-100 breakthrough at the Dubai Championships? Or will the higher-ranked Emil Ruusuvuori defeat the qualifier?

Emil Ruusuvori looked set for a top 40 breakthrough, but his surprise early exit in Pune in the opening week of the season cost him a substantial chunk of points he earned at the event as a finalist last season. That defeat to Benjamin Bonzi in India has set the tone for what has been a dreadful start to his 2023 campaign. The Finnish star has since left the top 50 although a good week at the Dubai Championships could see him regain his top 50 status.

Christopher O’Connell, meanwhile, qualified for the Dubai Championships for the third time. He’s been highly successful in navigating his way into the main draw here. But he’s never won a main draw match, having lost to Lloyd Harris in 2021 and Andy Murray last year, both times in three sets. You can be rest assured the Aussie won’t go down without a fight here and with Ruusuvuori’s season in sixes and sevens, maybe this could be O’Connell’s big moment in Dubai.

Emil Ruusuvuori and Christopher O’Connell have not played each other on the ATP Tour. Tuesday’s match at the Dubai Championships will be their first official meeting. O’Connell has been in good touch lately. Last week he went toe to toe with Daniil Medvedev and came within two games of beating the in-form Russian. This could be another chaotic start to a tournament for the Finn who just hasn’t managed to hit the ground running in 2023. We recommend backing the Aussie whose qualifying run at the weekend comes just a few days from his impressive run in Doha.