Second-round action in Cincinnati gets underway on Tuesday with Andrey Rublev kicking off his campaign against Emil Ruusuvuori. One of the remaining first-rounders features Alex de Minaur and J.J. Wolf.
Emil Ruusuvuori vs. (7) Andrey Rublev
Rublev will try to bounce back from an opening loss in Toronto to Mackenzie McDonald when he takes the court in round two of the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday. It has been a mostly productive season for the world No. 8 (40-16 record with two titles–including one in Monte-Carlo), but following a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon and a title in Bastad he also fell early in Hamburg (second round to Daniel Altmaier). Nonetheless, the good news for Rublev is that he is well rested for Cincinnati.
Up first for the seventh seed is Ruusuvuori, who trails the head-to-head series 2-0. The Finn lost 6-4, 6-4 two years ago in Dubai and 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3 earlier this season at the Australian Open. Ruusuvuori advanced on Monday with a 6-4, 6-2 rout of qualifier Corentin Moutet, but he is still a modest 22-21 at the ATP level in 2023. Rublev will be eager to get more matches under his belt in advance of the U.S. Open and will likely roll into the last 16.
Pick: Rublev in 2
Alex de Minaur vs. J.J. Wolf
De Minaur will be making a quick turnaround after finishing runner-up to Jannik Sinner at the Toronto Masters on Sunday. The 12th-ranked Australian’s road to the final included wins over Cameron Norrie, Gabriel Diallo, Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina while losing just one set to Fritz along the way.
Although De Minaur has had little rest, that may not be a big problem–at least not for now. He is one of the fittest players on tour, his matches in Toronto were not particularly taxing, and he is one of those guys who fights for every point regardless of the circumstances. De Minaur is not just going to show up in Cincinnati for the paycheck. Moreover, he dominated his only previous encounter with Wolf 6-4, 6-2 last fall on the indoor hard courts of Stockholm. A 6-0, 6-2 blowout loss to Davidovich Fokina in the Toronto first round also doesn’t bode well for the American’s confidence.
Pick: De Minaur in 2
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