Italian Open 2023: Casper Ruud vs Laslo Djere head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Fixture: (4) Casper Ruud vs Laslo Djere

Date: Tuesday, May 16

Tournament: Italian Open 2023

Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16)

Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy

Category: Masters 1000

Surface: Outdoor clay

Prize money: €7,705,780

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

---

Casper Ruud vs Laslo Djere preview

Ruud is into the Rome fourth round.

Fourth seed Casper Ruud takes on the unseeded Laslo Djere of Serbia for a place in the Italian Open quarterfinals.

In a third-round thriller at the Foro Italico, World No. 4 Ruud looked in control against the unpredictable Alexander Bublik, dropping just one game in the opener. However, Bublik fought back to force a decider, which went the distance.

Eventually, Ruud stood tall when it mattered most - looking unflustered by Bublik's unconventional tactics of standing close to the service line. The Norwegian produced a 'perfect' tiebreak to improve to 13-9 on the season.

Having failed to build on his sterling exploits in 2022, Ruud is beginning to come into his own on clay, winning his first title of the season in Estoril. However, he stumbled in the opening round in Madrid two weeks ago before consecutive wins this week improved the 2022 semifinalist's Foro Italico record to 11-3.

Meanwhile, the 62nd-ranked Djere has had a trio of wins this week to improve to 15-11 on the season. Having opened his campaign against Frenchman Constant Lestienne, the Serb upset 23rd seed Botic van de Zandschulp before downing Cristian Garin.

Coming off a final run at the Cagliari Challenger, the 27-year-old is now 5-3 in Rome, having reached the Banja Luka quarterfinals last month.

---

Casper Ruud vs Laslo Djere head-to-head

Ruud has lost both his meetings with Djere, including the pair's only claycourt clash in the quarterfinals at 2019 Rio de Janeiro, where the Serb went all the way. They last clashed in the second round at Auckland this year.

---

Casper Ruud vs Laslo Djere odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Casper Ruud	-250	-1.5 (-105)	Over 22.5 (-110)
Laslo Djere	+190	+1.5 (-135)	Under 22.5 (-125)

(All odds as per BETMGM)

---

Casper Ruud vs Laslo Djere prediction

Djere is into the fourth round.

Both Ruud and Djere largely look to dominate opponents from the baseline and tend to play their best tennis on clay.

However, the Norwegian can serve and hit big and also move well. He takes the edge because of his superior consistency and pedigree, especially on the sport's slowest surface. Moreover, Ruud (107-40) has a better claycourt record than Djere (80-53).

Djere is coming off three matches this week, so he could be a bit fatigued. Both players have similar records this season, but Ruud, being the fresher of the two, will count on his good record in Rome to move to the next round.

Pick: Ruud in straight sets