The ATP Cup continues in Sydney on Monday with Casper Ruud battling Roberto Bautista Agut in the Norway-Spain tie. Meanwhile, Greece’s Stefanos Tsistipas clashes with Argentine No. 1 Diego Schwartzman.
Casper Ruud vs. Roberto Bautista Agut
Norway’s Casper Ruud rocketed into the top 10 with a massive 2021 season. The world No. 8 captured 5 titles last year. He elected to take advantage of the rankings points up for grabs in the post-Roland Garros European clay court swing. It was a wise decision – Ruud ran the board and in so doing, earned himself a spot in Nitto ATP finals.
Roberto Bautista Agut will be representing team Spain. The veteran world No. 19 started off the 2021 season in good form, but his form fell off a bit post-Wimbledon. He shellacked Cristian Garin in his opening match in Sydney this week, where he looked fresh and ready to go for the 2022 season.
Bautista Agut has a single win over Ruud, but that came way back in 2018 on the clay courts of Munich. Ruud is a far more complete player now. The Norwegian even managed to earn himself a spot in the ATP Finals semis. Monday’s match could be a real barnstormer. Expect this one to go the distance, with Ruud and his young legs to just squeak out the win.
Cheryl pick: Ruud in 3
Ricky pick: Bautista Agut in 3
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Diego Schwartzman
World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas had a notably streaky season in 2021. The Greek man earned his first Slam final at the French Open, where he opened up a 2-0 lead on eventual champion Novak Djokovic. His post-French Open Slam performances were less than impressive. He crashed out of Wimbledon in the first round and was sent packing in the third round at the U.S. Open at the hands of the young Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz.
Tsitsipas’s Monday opponent, Diego Schwartzman came on in the second half of the season. The popular Argentine hardly won a match during the sprint clay court swing, only to make a surprise run to the quarterfinals of the French Open. Schwartzman finished the season last year with a quarterfinal showing at Indian Wells and a run to the final in Antwerp.
Of the two players, Scwhartzman has been in better form most recently. Tsitsipas didn’t play for Greece in the first day of round robin play in Sydney, while Schwartzman tore out of the blocks, dismantling Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 6-2. Tsitsipas is the No. 4 player in the world, but he hasn’t been playing like it for a bit now.
Cheryl pick: Schwartzman in 3
Ricky pick: Schwartzman in 3
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