Monte-Carlo 2023: Ruud vs van de Zandschulp Tennis Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters second-round match featuring Casper Ruud vs Botic van de Zandschulp on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.

Ruud vs van de Zandschulp Match Preview and Prediction

Fresh from winning his first title of the season, fourth seed Casper Ruud faces Botic van de Zandschulp in his first match at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters. Who will prevail?

Casper Ruud won his first title of the season at last week’s Esotirl Open, beating Miomir Kecmanovic in the final in straight sets. It has been a turbulent year for the Norwegian in the first quarter where he went 5-6 on hard courts. But a title win under his belt is just what the doctor ordered and should come as a welcome relief for Ruud ahead of the clay swing where he has a ton of points to defend in subsequent tournaments. Let’s see if he’ll kick off his 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters with a win over Botic van de Zandschulp.

Botic van de Zandschulp, meanwhile, secured a come-from-behind win in his first-round match at the Monte-Carlo Masters, beating Hungarian Marton Fucsovics. van de Zandschulp trailed by a set and a break, but clawed his way into the match, saving a couple of match points deep in the second set before triumphing 3-6, 7-6, 6-1 in two hours and 39 minutes.

Ruud vs van de Zandschulp Prediction and Pick

Botic van de Zandschulp leads Casper Ruud 3-1 in their head-to-head. The Dutchman defeated Ruud in their most recent match a couple of weeks ago at the Miami Masters. But Ruud has got his season back on track, just in time. Van de Zandschulp has been very poor this season for a man with top-20 ambitions, and had it not been for Fucsovics’ complacency he could have easily been sent packing. I expect Ruud to give a good account of himself here. He’s had a couple of days of sufficient rest time and will surely be raring to go again.