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Match Details
Fixture: (5) Casper Ruud vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Date: April 27, 2024
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: La Caja Majica, Madrid, Spain
Category: Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €7,877,020
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Casper Ruud vs Miomir Kecmanovic preview
After a first-round bye, World No. 6 Casper Ruud will lock horns with Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round of the 2024 Madrid Open on Saturday.
Ruud led his team to the quarterfinals of the United Cup and then made it to the third round of the Australian Open. He reached back-to-back finals in February at the Los Cabos Open and the Mexican Open but lost both of them.
Ruud continued his good run of form with a quarterfinal run at the Indian Wells Masters. He lost a little early in Miami as he was shown the door in the fourth round. He started the clay season with a semifinal finish at the Estoril Open, where he was the defending champion.
Ruud reached his third final of the season at the Monte-Carlo Masters but was beaten by Stefanos Tsitsipas. The two set up a rematch for the Barcelona Open title the following week. The Norwegian came out on top this time to claim the biggest title of his career so far.
Kecmanovic's Madrid Open campaign commenced against Zhang Zhizhen. The Serb was in control of the match from start to finish. Aside from a few minor hiccups, he didn't face much resistance from his opponent as he coasted to a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win.
Casper Ruud vs Miomir Kecmanovic head-to-head
Kecmanovic leads Ruud 2-1 in the head-to-head. The latter won their previous encounter at last year's Estoril Open in straight sets.
Casper Ruud vs Miomir Kecmanovic odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Casper Ruud vs Miomir Kecmanovic prediction
Kecmanovic played one of his best matches of the year to oust Zhang in the previous round. He didn't drop his serve even once and hit 17 winners compared to nine unforced errors.
Ruud has been on a roll this year, even more so on clay. He has won a tour-leading 29 matches this year and his record on clay stands at 11-2. While he lost the first couple of times he went up against Kecmanovic, he snapped the losing streak in the final of last year's Estoril Open.
Now that they're set to duke it out on clay once again, Ruud will be the heavy favorite given his form and results on the surface. Kecmanovic has the game to challenge the Norwegian but he has been inconsistent this season.
Kecmanovic has won just 10 matches this season, while Ruud has tallied 11 victories just this month. He has won at least two matches in every tournament he has entered so far. The Norwegian will be backed to make a winning start here as well.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets.
