Daniil Medvedev makes his 2023 clay-court debut on Wednesday, as the second round wraps up at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. French Open finalist Casper Ruud will also be in action against Botic Van de Zandschulp.
(3) Daniil Medvedev vs. Lorenzo Sonego
This is a tricky first match on the dirt for the tour’s hottest player of the moment. Daniil Medvedev is not at his best on clay; his game is tailored for hard courts. The slick nature of the clay makes Medvedev’s movement awkward, and his groundstrokes lose a bit of their usual sting. “I definitely have to change my game because my strokes are too flat and clay does not let the ball go through the court as much,” the Miami champion explained during his pre-tournament presser at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
The Russian likely won’t have the opportunity to ease into the event. His second-round opponent is Lorenzo Sonego, who pulled victory from the jaws of defeat in his first round match against Ugo Humbert. The Italian fought off a total of four match points and eventually closed out the win 3-6, 7-5, 7-5. He will definitely go into Wednesday’s second round warmed up and match tough.
Despite the fact that he hasn’t played a match on clay yet in 2023, Medvedev’s current form cannot be discounted. The Russian has won four of his last five tournaments, including the Miami Masters a couple of weeks ago. Sonego is a solid clay-court player, but taking out Medvedev in the form he’s in is probably asking too much.
Cheryl pick: Medvedev in 3
Ricky pick: Medvedev in 2
(4) Casper Ruud vs. Botic van de Zandschulp
Casper Ruud was back to his winning ways last week. The No. 4 seed was having a terrible year in 2023 headed into Estoril. Fortunately for Ruud, he found his way and added a 10th title to his collection. Ruud is generally a good hard-court player, as evidenced by his run to the U.S. Open final, but he has been struggling there so far this season. He looked much more at home on his preferred clay.
Dutch star Botic van de Zandschulp has also had a disappointing start to the season. The world No. 31 is 10-8 for the year, including his first-round win over qualifier Marton Fucsovics earlier this week. He holds a 3-1 career head-to-head edge over Ruud, but on clay it will likely be a different story
This one should go to Ruud comfortably. The Norwegian was the 2022 French Open runner-up and Van de Zandschulp is not in good form at the moment. The underdog isn’t likely to have enough game to take out a clay-court player of Ruud’s caliber.
Cheryl pick: Ruud in 2
Ricky pick: Ruud in 2
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