Rafael Nadal vs. Casper Ruud Prediction: Ruud Just Lifted Its Game

Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam winner, will meet World No. 4 Casper Ruud in the 2022 ATP Finals group round on Thursday.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal needed to win his next group tie against Felix Auger-Aliassime to have a chance of making it out of the group stage after losing in straight sets to Taylor Fritz. The Spaniard had two break opportunities in the first game of the first set but failed to convert. He had two more opportunities in the seventh game of the set but failed both times.

Auger-Aliassime did not repeat the error, broke Nadal's serve in the next game. After serving out the set, the Canadian took the lead in the match. He took an early break to go ahead 3-1 in the second set. The former World No. 1 had a chance to go back on serve, but he didn't.

With Nadal unable to make inroads, Auger-Aliassime quickly closed out the match, winning 6-3, 6-4. With this defeat, the Spaniard has been eliminated from semifinal contention.

Casper Ruud

Ruud began his ATP Finals campaign with a victory over Auger-Aliassime before facing Taylor Fritz in his second group round. He got off to a fast start, jumping up to a 3-0 lead. To win the opening set, the Norwegian maintained his lead to the very finish.

Ruud faced three break points early in the second set, but he held serve. Following that, the duo remained quite solid on serve. The 23-year-old had a game point to tie the match at 5-5, but Fritz broke his serve and won the set to force a decider.

With neither player breaking serve in the final set, the match went to a tie-break. Ruud led 5-1 and had a couple of match points, but Fritz came back to tie the game at 6-6. The Norwegian then won the next two points to win the match 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6) and advance to the semifinals.

Expert Betting Tips

Ruud lifted his game just in time to triumph over Fritz. His serve assisted him once more, and his court coverage was superb. He also varied up his shots fairly effectively. Given their respective records, it's difficult to imagine the Norwegian winning this one.

• Total Under 22.5 for 1.955
• Handicap Casper Ruud (-2.5) for 1.85
• Individual Total 2 Under 12.5 for 2.03