Dominic Thiem vs Casper Ruud: French Open Preview and Prediction

Third seed Dominic Thiem sets up an enthralling encounter against the in-form Casper Ruud in the third round of the French Open.

Thiem kickstarted his campaign ousting Marin Cilic in straight sets. He continued his fine run overcoming Jack Sock 6-1 6-3 7-6 in the second round. 

Despite not playing any clay-court tournaments before arriving in Paris, the Austrian has not shown any signs of rustiness in his game.

On the other hand, Ruud thrashed Yuichi Sugita with just the loss of five games. He survived a major scare against Tommy Paul in the second round edging past him in five sets. 

Head to Head record 

Thiem leads the head to head record 1-0 against Ruud. “I am very happy, I found myself in the tie-break and he played very well, particularly in the second and third sets, I was lucky to save the three set points in the tie-break,” said Thiem quite satisfied with his game despite the wobbly finish at the end. 

Ruud has had a tremendous run on the red dirt with back-to-back semifinals in the Rome Masters and Hamburg Open. With his heavy groundstrokes, quick movement, and impressive baseline game, he has all the good qualities to excel on the surface. 

In his quest for the third final, Thiem cannot take Ruud lightly as the Norwegian is high on confidence. Ruud will look to trouble the Austrian with his topspin heavy forehand. 

Despite not having a big serve, he would look to keep it consistent and not get broken at the start of the set. His inside-in forehand is his signature shot and once it touches the clay after crossing the high part of the net, it often moves out of the opponent's reach. 

The Norwegian has a superior 15-4 record on clay this year and his efforts at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca have paid him rich dividends. With both players being big hitters on the court, the battle may be decided from the back of the court. 

Thiem has the edge owing to his huge experience at Roland Garros though Ruud will be the most difficult opponent he will face.

Prediction - Dominic Thiem to win in four sets

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