Miami Open 2023: Casper Ruud vs Botic van de Zandschulp preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Fixture: (3) Casper Ruud vs (26) Botic van de Zandschulp

Tournament: Miami Open 2023

Date: Sunday, March 26

Round: Third round (Round of 32)

Venue: Miami Gardens, Florida, United States

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $8,800,000

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

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Casper Ruud vs Botic van de Zandschulp preview

Ruud is into the Miami third round.

Third seed Casper Ruud will continue his Miami Open campaign with a third-round tussle against 26th seed Botic van de Zandschulp on Sunday (March 26).

The fifth-ranked Ruud has had an underwhelming 5-5 start to the season. However, he opened his Miami campaign with a good win against Ilya Ivashka for the loss of just three games.

The 2022 Miami, Roland Garros, US Open and ATP Finals finalist won one of his two matches at the inaugural United Cup before stumbling in the opening round in Auckland. He then made a surprise second-round exit at the Australian Open before going 1-1 at his next two stops in Acapulco and Indian Wells.

Ruud is now 6-3 in Miami, having made the final last season, but needs to improve massively to make another run at the title.

Meanwhile, World No. 32 Zandschulp has made a better start to the season than his Scandinavian counterpart. He improved to 8-6 with a second-round win over Alexei Popyrin in Miami.

Earlier this year, the Dutchman made the quarterfinals in Dubai (ATP 500) and the last four in Pune (ATP 250). However, the 27-year-old stumbled in the first round at Indian Wells last fortnight.

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Casper Ruud vs Botic van de Zandschulp head-to-head

Zandshulp has a 2-1 head-to-head lead over Ruud, having beaten him in the pair's only hardcourt meeting in the second round of the US Open two years ago. However, Ruud won their last clash in the Round of 32 at Rome last year.

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Casper Ruud vs Botic van de Zandschulp odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total games (over/under)
Casper Ruud	-350	-1.5 (-125)	Over 21.5 (+135)
Botic van de Zandschulp	+240	+1.5 (-110)	Under 21.5 (-105)

(All odds as per BETMGM)

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Casper Ruud vs Botic van de Zandschulp prediction

Botic van de Zandsculp is into the Miami third round.

Both Ruud and Van de Zandschulp like to play from the baseline, making occasional forays to the net to surprise their opponents.

While the Norwegian plays his best tennis on claycourt, he improved his hardcourt game massively last season, reaching three big finals (Miami, US Open, ATP Finals).

Ruud has a mean serve, can hit powerfully off either flank and is an excellent mover, which gives him a distinct edge. Van de Zandschulp has had Ruud's number, but the latter has become a far better player since the pair's only hardcourt meeting two years ago.

The Dutchman will fancy his chances, given Ruud's quiet start to the season. However, the Norwegian is expected to rediscover his mojo at the place where he made his first big hardcourt final.

Prediction: Ruud in three sets