The seeds start to take the field in Cincinnati on Saturday, where Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud are in the order of the game. Tsitsipas is going against Fabian Marozsan, while Ruud is opposed to Arthur Rinder Knech.
(25) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Fabian Marozsan
Tsitsipas has fallen to No. 29 in the world and he is 24th in the race to Turin. The 26-year-old Greek is only 19-14 this season and 4-7 in his last 11 games that date from the Clay-Court Tournament in Barcelona. Tsitsipas has not won a competition since the first round of the Halle, while he withdrew from his Wimbledon -opener and then immediately lost in Toronto by Christopher O’Connell.
First for the number 25 seed in the Western & Southern Open On Saturday is a second round of confrontation against Marozsan. Although the current form of Marozsan is hardly spectacular, he has already achieved five victories in this North American hard swing. This includes a third round of effort in Toronto and a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 defeat defeat of qualifying Colton Smith on Thursday. With a victory that is already under his belt, the 51st ranking should be more than ready to take advantage of a wrestling opponent.
Pick: Marozsan in 2
(11) Casper Ruud vs. Arthur Rinder Knech
Just like Tsitsipas, Ruud is on his way to the ranking in 2025. The 26-year-old Norwegian predictably heated a clay with a title at the Madrid Masters, but he has since been plagued by bad play and physical problems. Ruud missed the entire Gras-Court Swing and he is only 4-4 in his last eight games that dates back to the quarterfinals of Rome after losing Karen Khahanov in the fourth round of Toronto.
A matchup with Rinder Knech should be exactly what the doctor ordered. Ruud has absolutely had the Frenchman in four meetings; The former world no. 2 rolled in straight sets in 2021 (Kitzbuhel), 2023 (Rome) and twice earlier this year (Acapulco and Madrid). Even on the hard courts of Acapulco, Ruud had no problems falling to a 6-4, 6-3 victory. Rinderknech is in a decent form and is opened with an impressive 6-3, 6-3 scalp of Nuno Borges on Thursday, so the world no. 70 will probably be the most competitive he has ever been against Ruud. Yet it may ask to turn the tide completely, maybe too much.
Pick: Ruud in 3
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