Casper Ruud vs Leslo Djere
Time: 4:45 PM IST
Head-to-head: 0-2
Casper Ruud managed to successfully navigate a challenging test in his recent match against Alexander Bublik during the third round of the Rome Masters. While he only lost one game in the first set, he was forced to play three sets, including a tiebreaker in the final set, in order to secure the win with a score of 6-1, 4-6, 7-6.
This is the second time this year that the 24-year-old has achieved back-to-back victories, and notably the first time at tournaments exceeding the ATP 250 level. Despite some unconvincing performances, Ruud managed to secure the title in Estoril, but experienced a series of disappointments in his other tournaments over the past five months.
As he heads into his match at the Rome Masters, the 2022 US Open runner-up has an impressive 2-1 record in the round of 16. In his debut campaign in 2019, he faltered at this stage of the tournament, but he has since made impressive progress by reaching the semifinals during his subsequent visits in 2020 and 2022.
Laslo Djere, one of the active players in the Rome Masters, has spent the fewest hours on the court thus far. This is a fortunate development for the Serbian player, who had recently played in several demanding and exhausting matches at the Cagliari Challenger before the start of the Rome Masters.
In his match against Botic Van De Zandschulp, Djere emerged victorious in under 90 minutes. In his other two matches, he only needed to win a single set, as his opponents Constant Lestienne and Cristian Garin retired after losing the first set in the first round and third round, respectively.
Djere, the former ATP Rio de Janeiro champion, has managed to secure victories against top-10 players on only three occasions throughout his career. His most recent triumph against a top-10 opponent occurred earlier this year in January when he defeated none other than Casper Ruud in a thrilling three-set match in Auckland. He is now hoping to make his first quarterfinal appearance at the Masters level, as he has a record of 0-2 in the round of 16.
Prediction: Back Djere to win a set