Match Details
Fixture: (3) Casper Ruud vs (13) Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Date: April 20, 2024
Tournament: Barcelona Open
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Real Club de Tenis Barcelona
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €2,782,960
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN3
Casper Ruud vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry preview
Third seed Casper Ruud takes on Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the semifinals of the 2024 Barcelona Open on Saturday.
Ruud secured straight-set wins over Alexandre Muller and Jordan Thompson to set up a quarterfinal showdown against Matteo Arnaldi. The Norwegian led by a break twice in the first set, but his opponent negated his advantage on each occasion.
Ruud made his move when Arnaldi served to stay in the set at 5-4. He broke his younger rival's serve once more to claim the set. The three-time Major finalist then took charge of the second set. A lone break of serve propelled him to a 6-4, 6-3 win.
Etcheverry, meanwhile, knocked out Nick Hardt and rallied from a set down to defeat Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 to make the last-eight. He faced former top-10 player Cameron Norrie for a spot in the semifinals.
Etcheverry broke Norrie's serve in the very first game, but the latter got back on serve soon. Neither was able to snag another break in the first set, which led to a tiebreak.
Etcheverry edged out Norrie in it to take a one-set lead. Both players had break points in the second set, but neither capitalized on their chances. Another tiebreak ensued, which the Argentine won for a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1) win.
Casper Ruud vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry head-to-head
Ruud leads Etcheverry 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2023 China Open in three sets.
Casper Ruud vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Casper Ruud vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry prediction
Ruud's win over Arnaldi was his 27th of the season. No other player has as many wins as him this year. It also marks his third straight semifinal of the clay season. He previously reached this stage at the Estoril Open and made the Monte-Carlo Masters final.
Etcheverry, meanwhile, has advanced to his second semifinal of the year after his tight two-set win over Norrie. His only other semifinal was also on clay, which was at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston.
Ruud and Etcheverry have faced off just once before, and the former staged a comeback to defeat the latter in three sets. The Norwegian has been in great form throughout the clay swing and hasn't dropped a set all week in Barcelona.
Ruud has also won more than twice the number of matches than Etcheverry this year. The Norwegian has made adjustments to his game, which have worked wonders for him. He will be favored to reach his fourth final of the season at the expense of the Argentine.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets