Munich QF previews and predictions: Ruusuvuori vs. Rune, Ruud vs. van de Zandschulp

Casper Ruud, Emil Ruusuvuori, and Holger Rune all find themselves in the Munich quarterfinals on Friday. They are joined by Botic Van de Zandschulp, who is facing Ruud. Ruusuvuori and Rune are going head-to-head.

(WC) Holger Rune vs. Emil Ruusuvuori

Rune has been on a steady rise over the past two seasons and he reached new heights with his biggest-ever win by ranking in the BMW Open second round, upsetting No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-2. The 18-year-old Dane preceded that result with a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over qualifier Jiri Lehecka. Rune is now 10-2 on clay this spring–a Challenger event and ATP qualifying included.

Up next for the world No. 70 on Friday is a first-ever meeting with Ruusuvuori, who earned his spot in the Munich quarterfinals by beating Yoshihito Nishioka and Maxime Cressy in straight sets. The 63rd-ranked Finn has already won 16 matches on the main tour in 2022 compared to only nine losses. As talented as Rune is, the ATP level for the most part has been too steep of a step up for the teenager. He is just 6-9 this season and 17-23 overall. Rune obviously has a ton of talent, but his physical stamina in long, tough matches is a big question and it’s hard to see him being able to finish this one quickly.

Pick: Ruusuvuori in 3

(8) Botic van de Zandschulp vs. (2) Casper Ruud

Ruud and van de Zandschulp will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Friday. Their only previous encounter came last summer at the U.S. Open, where van de Zandschulp pulled off a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 second-round upset on his eventual way to the quarterfinals.

A switch to clay should obviously give Ruud a much better chance. Six of his seven titles and eight of his 10 finals have come on the red stuff. The seventh-ranked Norwegian’s clay-court swing is not off to the best of starts, but a three-set win over an in-form Alex Molcan on Thursday has him battle-tested in Munich and should have him ready for this rematch. Van de Zandschulp has advanced this week with victories over Brandon Nakashima and Egor Gerasimov. This should be a fun one, but the 40th-ranked Dutchman may be slightly out of his league in this matchup on clay.

Pick: Ruud in 2