San Diego Open 2021: Casper Ruud vs Andy Murray preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (2) Casper Ruud vs Andy Murray

Date: 30 September 2021

Tournament: San Diego Open 2021

Round: Second round (Round of 16)

Venue: San Diego, United States

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Hardcourt

Prize money: $565,530

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

Casper Ruud vs Andy Murray preview

Casper Ruud and Andy Murray will lock horns in a marquee second-round encounter at the 2021 San Diego Open on Thursday.

Ruud, the second seed, has not played in a single ATP event since his surprise loss to Botic van de Zandschulp at the US Open. The Norwegian did, however, participate at the recently-concluded Laver Cup, where he scored a good win over Reilly Opelka. He will look to carry that momentum to San Diego and make a deep run.

In the form of former World No. 1 Murray, though, he has been handed a very difficult opening opponent.

Andy Murray at the 2021 US Open.

Murray, for his part, has been playing some solid tennis of late. The Scot showed plenty of positive signs in his five-set loss against Stefanos Tsitsipas in New York and backed that up with a quarterfinal run in Metz. Murray registered wins over the likes of Ugo Humbert and Vasek Pospisil, before coming up short against top seed Hubert Hurkacz.

The three-time Grand Slam champion looked in impressive touch in his San Diego opener, breezing past Denis Kudla in straight sets.

Casper Ruud vs Andy Murray head-to-head

This will be the first career meeting between Casper Ruud and Andy Murray, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.

Casper Ruud vs Andy Murray prediction

Ruud's forehand is one of his biggest weapons.

Murray's encouraging run at Metz marked his first quarterfinal appearance at an ATP event since 2019. Another win in San Diego will secure back-to-back last-eight berths for the Scot, which will give him plenty of confidence for the rest of the season.

Murray will, however, have to find a way to navigate the in-form Casper Ruud. The Norwegian produced solid runs at both the North American Masters 1000 events prior to the US Open, scoring big wins over the likes of Opelka, Marin Cilic and Diego Schwartzman.

Primarily known for his prowess on clay, Ruud has made huge improvements to his game over the last couple of years on faster surfaces as well. His forehand is one of the best in the game and his serve is also a decent weapon.

Against a solid retriever in the shape of Murray, the Norwegian will need to be consistent from the baseline. If Ruud can keep his composure in crunch moments, he should be able to come through this clash, although the Scot is unlikely to go down without a fight.

Prediction: Casper Ruud to win in three sets