When Casper Ruud and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina are on the court at the same time, entertainment generally ensues.
They have faced each other three times heading into their third-round showdown at the Miami Open on Sunday night, and all three matches have gone the distance. Ruud won in five sets at the 2019 NextGen ATP Finals, Davidovich Fokina pulled off a five-set upset at the 2021 French Open, and Davidovich Fokina prevailed in a third-set tiebreaker last summer at the Toronto Masters.
Ruud, however, should like his chances of turning the tide back in his favor. The Norwegian struggled in 2023, but he appears to be back in his best form this year. In fact, Ruud has already picked up more hard-court victories in 2024 (17) than he did all of last season (14). The world No. 8 continued his momentum and kicked off his Miami campaign with a 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-1 defeat of Luca Van Assche on Saturday.
Davidovich Fokina is still searching for his best level this year. The 28th-ranked Spaniard has not yet advanced past the quarterfinals of any tournament and he was 2-5 in his last seven matches prior to arriving in Miami. He did well to beat Jerry Sheng 6-3, 7-5, but Ruud is a considerable step up in competition.
Although conditions may not be entirely ideal for Ruud in Miami, he is a former runner-up at this tournament (2022). Combine that with his impressive current form and the seventh seed should have the upper hand on Sunday.
Pick: Ruud in 2
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