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Match Details
Fixture: (3) Rafael Matos/Orlando Luz vs (WC) Rafael Nadal/Casper Ruud
Date: July 20, 2024
Tournament: Nordea Open 2024
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Bastad Tennis Stadium, Bastad, Sweden
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €579,320
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Rafael Matos/Orlandlo Luz vs Rafael Nadal/Casper Ruud preview
Third seeds Rafael Matos and Orlando Luz will square off against the superstar pairing of Casper Ruud and Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the Nordea Open.
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Matos and Luz beat Nam Ji-sung and Patrik Niklas-Salminen 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals in Bastad. The Brazilian duo then took on Pavel Kotov and Piotr Matuszewski for a spot in the last four.
Matos and Luz got broken in the very first game of the match but bagged the next four games to take a 4-1 lead. There were no further setbacks for the them as they easily captured the opener.
Kotov and Matuszewski secured a break of serve in the eighth game of the second set to go 5-3 up. However, they couldn't serve out the set as the Brazilians broke back immediately, and then came out on top in the tie-break to win the match 6-3, 7-6 (4).
After being on the opposite sides of the net for years, Nadal and Ruud teamed up to play doubles in Bastad. They made a strong start to their campaign here as they upset the second-seeded team of Guido Andreozzi and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela 6-1, 6-4 to make the last eight.
Ruud and Nadal then faced Roman Safiullin and Theo Arribage in the quarterfinals. The teams split the first two sets, which led to a super tie-break instead of the usual third set. The Spanish-Norwegian duo saved a match point in it to register a 6-4, 3-6, 12-10 win.
Rafael Matos/Orlando Luz vs Rafael Nadal/Casper Ruud head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Rafael Matos/Orlando Luz vs Rafael Nadal/Casper Ruud odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Rafael Matos/Orlando Luz vs Rafael Nadal/Casper Ruud prediction
Despite not competing in doubles that often, Nadal and Ruud are making their partnership work. The two rallied from the brink of defeat to win their previous match. Luz mainly plays on the Challenger circuit but has teamed up with Matos this week, who has won a couple of doubles titles this year.
Ruud's singles campaign here came to an early end as he lost to Thiago Monteiro in the second round. He'll be keen to avoid another loss to players from the same country this week. Nadal, on the other hand, has played quite well, and has also made the last eight in singles. His serve has held up well, and his groundstrokes pack a punch too.
Luz and Matos' doubles experience gives them a slight edge in this encounter. However, neither have competed against players of Nadal and Ruud's caliber that often. The latter team already took out an experienced doubles team this week, and could repeat the feat with a win over the Brazilian duo.
Pick: Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud to win in straight sets.
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