The revenge!

Cerundolo came out on top here last year against Ruud. And of course, the Norwegian will be looking to get his revenge.

I’m going to repeat myself a bit about Cerundolo, but the assessment is the same, because since last year, quite a few things have changed for him, especially his serve quality, which can get him out of a few tough matches like today’s against Kecmanovic. The Argentine is getting a few free points on his service games and holding more easily. He’s really horrible to play at altitude with his height variations, and Ruud will remember very well how he got beaten last year. The Norwegian completely imploded and lost patience in a match with plenty of twists and turns. This time, Cerundolo seems a bit more stable on serve, but Ruud might also be more patient or better equipped tactically to face the Argentine.

Ruud has just played a good match against Faria, even though he started poorly. He says he doesn’t really know why, but from 4–4 in the second set, his game clicked. And it’s true that from that moment on, he really managed to play well and eventually win in style. I’d say I found his performance fairly solid overall, but my first impression, before this particular match, still lingers in the back of my mind. I don’t feel like it’s ideal for him to take such a big break and then be immediately performing at a high level afterwards. He’s coming off a tough match and has to face another tough opponent who can neutralize him and offer a very different kind of battle. It’s not ideal, and yet Ruud is still priced very low again.

Obviously, Ruud is still better than JM Cerundolo, but I don’t think it will be an easy match for the Norwegian, once again.