“I come here a little bit different. I approach this tournament a little differently, knowing there are things I have to change if I am to have a good result here and go far,” said Carlos Alcaraz, determined to start his ATP Finals campaign on a winning note. Last year, he was defeated by Alexander Zverev in the first group stage match, but he still managed to reach the SF. This year, he faces the Norwegian superstar, Casper Ruud, in his opener group stage. For the record, Ruud is currently on a four-match losing streak! Can the Norwegian bounce back to winning tracks with a win against Alcaraz?

Carlos Alcaraz vs Casper Ruud: Preview

Carlos Alcaraz has had a wonderful season this year! He has won four titles this season and two out of those four have been major title triumphs (French Open and Wimbledon). Besides his heroics at these two Grand Slam tournaments, Carlos Alcaraz also won the Indian Wells Masters and the China Open. However, he’s entering this contest after facing defeat against Ugo Humbert (FRA) in the R16 of the Paris Masters.

Casper Ruud, on the other hand, started his season pretty well by reaching the final of the Los Cabos Open, Mexican Open, and Monte Carlo Masters. However, Ruud was defeated on those three occasions! His first success of this season came at the Barcelona Open, where he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas by 7-5,6-3 in the final to win the title.

Then his second title triumph was at the Geneva Open. However, Casper Ruud has been struggling a bit with his form recently and guess what? He’s entering this match after facing defeat at the hands of France’s Benjamin Bonzi in the R16 of the Moselle Open.

Alcaraz vs Ruud: Head-to-Head

Carlos Alcaraz has faced Casper Ruud four times in his career so far. Currently, the 21-year-old Spaniard has a clear edge over the Norwegian in the H2H record. He leads the H2H scoreline by a 4-0 margin!

• 2023 Beijing QF: Alcaraz 6-4,6-2.
• 2022 US Open Final: Alcaraz 6-4,2-6,7-6(1),6-3.
• 2022 ATP Masters 1000 Miami Final: Alcaraz 7-5,6-4.
• 2021 Marbella QF: Alcaraz 6-2,6-4.

Prediction: Alcaraz to win this match in straight sets

Looking at Carlos Alcaraz’s form this season and his dominance over Casper Ruud in their previous encounters, we feel the Spaniard will start this match as a favorite to win this epic battle. So, far Alcaraz (3) has managed to put up a win-loss record of 47-10, while on the other hand, Ruud’s (7) record in this season is currently 47-23. Both these players are entering this tournament after facing defeat in their previous matches, so they’ll be keen to bring out their A-game in this epic contest!

If we take a look at their playing styles, Casper Ruud is primarily an offensive baseliner who hits with heavy topspin. His groundstroke strength is his forehand, which he often hits with heavy topspin. Apart from that, Ruud also has a strong serve. He often uses his serves to earn more free points, frequently using a one-two punch. His biggest weakness in his game is his backhand. Carlos Alcaraz will possibly look to put Ruud in more uncomfortable positions in this match. So, the challenge for Casper Ruud would be to get a grip on the match right from the start.

Carlos Alcaraz, on the other hand, is often seen trying to hit a lot of winners with the help of his strong and precise forehand shots. Even his backhands are more than capable of causing a few troubles for his opponents. Alcaraz loves disguising his opponents with his incredible drop shots. We often see him trying to push his opponents further back on the court into a defensive position before coming up with his picture-perfect drop shots. Even his court coverage is truly exceptional!

So, considering all these factors and his consistency in bringing out his A-game in heavyweight clashes, we expect Alcaraz to win this contest against Ruud.