Jannik Sinner takes on Yoshihito Nishioka in an action-packed day in Barcelona, where quarterfinal spots are being handed out. French Open finalist Casper Ruud is taking the court against in-form Argentine Francisco Cerundolo.
(4) Jannik Sinner vs. (16) Yoshihito Nishioka
Jannik Sinner will continue his campaign for his first clay court title of 2023 on Thursday. Sinner is a solid clay-courter, but so far he has only won one clay-court title in his career. He snagged the Umag crown over main rival Carlos Alcaraz last season. The world No. 8 comes into Barcelona off a run to the semifinals in Monte-Carlo.
Yoshihito Nishioka has had a miserable run lately. The world No. 35 from Japan came into this week having been winless since February. He earned his spot in the third round with a win over struggling Belgian David Goffin. Nishioka had not played a tournament on clay since the 2022 French Open prior to arriving in Barcelona.
This one should be a quick win for Sinner. While fatigue may creep up on the Italian with all the tennis he has played recently, he isn’t likely to stumble on Thursday.
Cheryl pick: Sinner in 2
Ricky pick: Sinner in 2
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(3) Casper Ruud vs. (15) Francisco Cerundolo
The 2022 French Open and U.S. Open finalist Casper Ruud has hit a bit of rough patch. The popular Norwegian won his first title in Estoril a few weeks ago, but it’s his first solid result of the year. He crashed out of the Australian Open in the second round and even with his title in Estoril he is a scant 10-7 on the season. The world No. 3 defeated Ben Shelton in the second round this week.
Francisco Cerundolo was similarly in a slump for the first part of the season. He struggled a bit even during the South American clay-court swing. He made the quarters in Buenos Aires, but had little else to show for his efforts until he got to the Miami Masters. As he had in 2021 when he lost to Ruud in the semifinals, Cerundolo exceeded expectations in Miami. The Argentine made the quarters, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime along the way.
Cerundolo and Ruud have met twice. The Norwegian won their match at the Miami Masters last year, but Cerundolo returned the favor in the Bastad later in the season. Their third encounter is tricky to predict given their respective struggles, but I’m tipping the Argentine in this one.
Cheryl pick: Cerundolo in 3
Ricky pick: Ruud in 2
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WWW?
rare win for Cheryl over me