The quarter-finals in Stockholm will be handed out on Wednesday, when number 2 seed Casper Ruud starts his week against Marin Cilic. Swede Leo Borg will be upset when he faces Denis Shapovalov.
Marin Cilic v. (2) Casper Ruud
Ruud and Cilic will face each other for the fourth time in their careers on Wednesday in the second round of the Nordic Open. All three of their previous encounters have gone Ruud’s way; he has prevailed twice on clay (most recently in four sets in the semifinals of the 2022 French Open) and once on hard courts (6-3, 3-6, 6-3 at the Toronto Masters).
All of their matchups were competitive and an indoor surface could push Cilic over the hump. The 37-year-old Croatian has always been a force in these conditions and he has the advantage of having already played a match in Stockholm on Tuesday, beating Nicolai Budkov Kjaer 7-5, 6-3. Ruud has achieved some success indoors, but it has been fraught with inconsistencies. Furthermore, the twelfth-ranked Norwegian withdrew from his opening match in Shanghai. This is a great opportunity for Cilic to cause a small setback.
Choice: Cilic in 3
(Toilet) Leo Borg vs. (3) Denis Shapovalov
Shapovalov already owns one indoor hard court title this season, having won the Dallas ATP 500 in February. In fact, three of the Canadian’s four titles have come at 23rd. Shapovalov has been all over the place this year, with many strong results (including a second title in Los Cabos) combined with numerous early exits. Since he generally plays well indoors, the good version of Shapovalov should be on display in Stockholm, where he won his first ATP title in 2019.
First up for number 3 on Wednesday is the very first meeting with Borg. The 22-year-old Swede is ranked 622nd in the world and his career high score is No. 334. As such, Borg plays almost exclusively in Futures and Challengers, but only makes appearances on the main tour when he is given wildcards into Swedish tournaments. He is 5-11 lifetime at ATP level after beating Sebastian Ofner 6-3, 6-4 on Monday. Simply making it to the second round is a great result for Borg, but this is almost certainly where his week ends.
Choice: Shapovalov in 2
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