Casper Ruud, winner of the Green Group, and Red Group runner up Andrey Rublev will meet in Saturday’s second semifinal at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
U.S. Open finalist Casper Ruud continues to add to his hard court CV with a second consecutive trip to the Nitto ATP Finals semis. The Norwegian posted wins over Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime to earn his spot in the last four. The world No. 4 lost a throw-away match to the already eliminated Rafael Nadal in his third round-robin rubber, but he had already clinched the top spot in the Green Group with his previous victories.
Andrey Rublev had a slightly more complicated path to the semis. He got shellacked by Novak Djokovic in his middle round-robin match, but the Russian scored thrilling defeats over Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas to snag the Red Group runner-up spot. Rublev endured some tough losses in 2022, including a heartbreaker against Frances Tiafoe in the quarters of the U.S. Open, but he has rebounded nicely in Turin.
Rublev owns a 4-1 head-to-head edge in the head-to-head series, but unfortunately for him Ruud’s only win not only came at their most recent meeting but it was also at this same event on this same court a year ago. The Norwegian was a surprise semifinalist in 2021, but he has proven his hard court mettle over the past year. While the matchup has historically favored Rublev, Ruud is the more consistent player and is in better form in Turin.
Cheryl pick: Ruud in 3
Ricky pick: Ruud in 3
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