Madrid Open 2024: Casper Ruud vs Félix Auger-Aliassime; Preview, Head-to-Head, Prediction

The round of 16 of the Madrid Open has pitted the Barcelona Open champion Casper Ruud against Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Norwegian player is wreaking havoc on his favorite surface. The clay swing is going great for Ruud, as he has made it to the final stages of each tournament. Aliassime, on the other hand, is not having the best time.

After a round of 32 exit in the Monte-Carlo Masters, Aliassime was faced with a quarterfinal exit in the Bavarian International. Now, he has the chance to reach another quarterfinal.

Casper Ruud vs Félix Auger-Aliassime: Preview

Ruud faced and beat Miomir Kecmanović and Cameron Norrie in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, and 6-2, 6-4, respectively. He hit 6 aces and 2 double faults. He won 70% of points on the first serve with 63% on the second serve against Norrie. Ruud won 5 break points out of 11 and gave away 2 out of 3 to Norrie and gave 3 out of 7 to Norrie. He slips under pressure but manages to keep control of most of the game.

Aliassime first played Yoshihito Nishioka 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 6-4, and received a walkover from Jakub Mensik after being up by 6-1, 1-0. He has managed to hit 17 aces so far with only 3 double faults, only against Mannarino. He has averaged 82% of points on first serve in the first two clashes and has given only 1 break point away. At the same time, he has won 10 break points out of 20.

Ruud vs Auger-Aliassime: Head-to-Head

Ruud and Aliassime have a rivalry as they have played against each other four times on the ATP Tour, where Ruud leads 3-1. They have also played against each other twice in Challengers, with both winning one match each. 

• 2019 Miami Open round of 128: Felix Auger-Aliassime 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
• 2021 Madrid Open round of 64: Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-4
• 2022 Canadian Open quarterfinal: Casper Ruud 6-2, 6-2
• 2022 ATP Finals round-robin: Casper Ruud 7-6, 6-4

Ruud has not only won three of their recent matches, but he has also won their only clay clash. However, they have not played against each other for two years.

Prediction: Ruud to move on to the quarterfinal

Both Aliassime and Ruud have shown a great display of their tennis skill in the last week. There will only be one victor in their clash, who will be Ruud. Beating him on clay is a job that many fail. Ruud has been dominating on clay since the Barcelona Open and has not lost a set since his first round in the city of Counts.

Both have good performances on clay, but Ruud is above the Canadian player when it comes to dominating it. Aliassime will find it difficult to take control of the game from the start, but if he can manage it, he can dominate with his serves and can take the lead if he keeps forcing Ruud to the net. While the strategy might be in place, applying it against someone like Ruud is a different task altogether.