ATP Acapulco: Holger Rune vs Casper Ruud, Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

Temperatures are set to rise at Acapulco as Holger Rune and Casper Ruud look forward to making the audience sweat with their intense semifinal match in the Mexican Open. Who’ll have the last laugh? Holger Rune is currently the highest-ranked player left in the tournament. Can he get a step closer to $412,555? Or will the mighty Norwegian will stand tall on his path?

Holger Rune is currently on a stellar run at the Mexican Open. With Boris Becker stepping down from his coaching team, everyone’s eye is on the world number 7. Here’s everything you need to know about this intriguing semifinal clash.

Holger Rune vs Casper Ruud: Preview

The 20-year-old Dane has eased past the two Americans –Michael Mmoh and Aleksandar Kovačević in his first two matches in Acapulco. Rune needed only 1 hour and 32 minutes to seal the deal in his first match. In the quarterfinals, he defeated the number 58 from Germany, Dominik Koepfer by 7-6(2),7-6(0) to secure his place against the mighty challenger from Norway.

On the other hand, Casper Ruud had to climb steeper mountains to reach the SF of the Mexican Open. In the first match, Ruud snatched a hard-fought victory against Chris Eubanks. While in the second match, he faced a comparatively easier opponent, Dusan Lajovic. However, in the quarterfinals, he had to storm back from a set down to clinch a victory against one of America’s favorites, Ben Shelton by 6-7(9),6-4,6-4.

Holger Rune reached the semifinals of the Mexican Open last year. But he lost to the eventual champion from Australia, Alex de Minaur by 6-3,5-7,2-6 at the centre court. In 2021, Casper Ruud had reached the quarterfinals, but this time he has gone a step ahead. Can Holger Rune outclass the three-time Grand Slam finalist? Let’s have a look at what the head-to-head says.

Rune vs Ruud: Head-to-head

Both of them have met each other six times in their careers so far. However, Holger Rune could only snatch a single victory against his Norwegian opponent. The last time they met was in the quarterfinals of the 2023 French Open. That time it took four sets to decide the ultimate winner of this intriguing clash. Although they were familiar with each other’s style of play, every time they met, they ensured that there was no shortage of excitement for those in the stands and behind the screens as well.

Fans are hoping the same this time around as well. Ruud and Rune have already secured a total of 200 points and prize money of $118,300. How much more they will add to their bags in this 31-year-old prestigious tournament?

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Prediction: Holger Rune to win in three sets

Casper Ruud has proved himself multiple times in the biggest stages of the game. But now it’s time for the Dane to step up and prove all the doubters wrong. He has gone through a lot over the past few months with all the instabilities in his team. And now, he might have an added desire to show what he’s capable of, and he has been performing quite well in Acapulco this year.

On the other hand, Casper Ruud is coming into the contest after having a stellar victory over Ben Shelton. Although he lost the first set, he came back strongly in the next two. He has already been tested enough in this tournament and must be confident before stepping on the court against the Dane.

However, looking at the hunger and desire to prove himself, Holger Rune may as well go through at least a round farther than what he did last time and make it 5-2 in the head-to-head. What are your thoughts on this mega-battle?

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