Casper Ruud has played a lot of tennis in Mexico over the past two weeks. Last Saturday in Los Cabos he played both the singles final and the doubles semis (lost both to Jordan Thompson). Now he is making a quick turnaround in Acapulco and his trip to the quarters included a tough three-setter against Chris Euabanks.
Ruud has to be a bit fatigued, plus he has Indian Wells and Miami coming up. Ben Shelton may be able to take advantage on Thursday. The 17th-ranked American played an amazing match against Matteo Arnaldi in round two and seems to be loving both the conditions and the overall tournament vibe.
Shelton dominated his only previous hard-court meeting with Ruud and that was two years ago in Cincinnati, well before the American became the current version of himself. Don’t be surprised if the 21-year-old has too much firepower for Ruud.
Pick: Shelton in 3
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