Alexander Bublik vs Casper Ruud: 2023 Swiss Indoors Basel - Preview & Prediction
ATP
Alexander Bublik will start his Swiss Indoors campaign against Casper Ruud, and he won't be too happy about that.
Alexander Bublik will arrive in Basel in either good or bad spirits after playing in the European Open final. As of right now, Bublik is yet to play the final against Arthur Fils so depending on how that goes, it will have an impact here.
Fatigue shouldn't be a problem, though, as indoor tennis is fast-paced tennis just the way he likes it. That makes him very dangerous against the Norwegian, who can be attacked and has proved to be quite vulnerable on faster courts; this year especially.
Head-to-head:
One thing that benefits Ruud in the matchup is the head-to-head matchup so far. The Norwegian absolutely dominated Bublik so far, winning 5 of the 6 matches they played so far however, the only loss is important for this matchup.
It happened in Norway in the Davis Cup, and as you might have guessed it, it was played indoors. There were two other indoor matches, but both happened before 2022, which was before Bublik really broke out as a player.
Prediction:
So we have a player who is susceptible to losing indoors against a very aggressive player who can and has previously overpowered him. Does that mean that Bublik has a chance? Well, it depends on how his final goes.
That will impact his mood, and it's hard to forecast. If we look at the forms of both players recently, then Bublik could really have a good day against Ruud if he shows up. For some reason, I don't think he will, so I'll side with Ruud in this one.
He needs the win and he needs the points so let's see if he dlieveres.
Prediction: Casper Ruud to win in two sets.
