French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on American upstart Sebastian Korda in the Cincinnati second round on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Casper Ruud will battle Reilly Opelka in a clash of red-hot players.
(2) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Sebastian Korda
Current world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas experienced a post-French Open slump that saw him out of Wimbledon in a limp first-round loss to Frances Tiafoe. The Greek, however, found his mojo again in Toronto last week–when he was just edged out by Reilly Opelka in the semifinals. Tsitsipas had a first-round bye this week, so he heads into this second-round encounter without any matchplay in the rainy Ohio conditions.
Sebastian Korda has steadily made his way up the rankings for the past year. The 21 year-old American currently enjoys a career-high ranking of No. 45 in the world. Korda withdrew from Toronto last week with a back injury, but he made relatively quick work of Laslo Djere in his first-round match on Tuesday and looks to be fit.
While Korda has a bright future in the ATP–and he’s had plenty of upset wins in the past 12 months–there is little to suggest another upset brewing here. Tsitsipas is playing well and his game is more polished than Korda’s.
Cheryl pick: Tsitsipas in 3
Ricky pick: Tsitsipas in 2
(8) Casper Ruud vs. Reilly Opelka
Casper Ruud swooped in and snatched up the three post-Wimbledon European clay-court titles in the past month. His shrewd efforts have earned him a career-high ranking of No. 11 in the world and a first-round bye this week as the eighth seed. Of course, the Norwegian also had a good run in Toronto. Tsitsipas gave him a shellacking, but that was in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately for Ruud, his Cincinnati bye had led to an opener against Opelka–who is playing some of the best tennis of his career right now.
Opelka cut his way through through an impressive line of opponents to earn a spot in the Toronto final this past Sunday, including a win over Tsitsipas in the semis. Opelka sits at a career-high No. 23 in the world this week. At nearly 7-feet tall, the American’s dominant shot is his serve, but he moves well for a man his size and he can sometimes also do damage at the net.
It’s a rough opening match for Ruud. Fatigue may well be a factor as the tournament progresses, but Opelka’s matches tend to feature short points. He should have plenty in the tank.
Cheryl pick: Opelka in 3
Ricky pick: Ruud in 3
WWW?
tpas in straight; Opelka in 2.