Barcelona Open 2024: Matteo Arnaldi vs Casper Ruud preview, head-to-head, prediction, live streaming details

Casper Ruud is yet to win against Matteo Arnaldi

Casper Ruud has exhibited his best skills on clay courts; however, the Norwegian has always failed to make the end meet at the last moment. Last week, the 25-year-old reached the final of the ATP 1000 Monte Carlo Masters after recording a praiseworthy victory over WR1 Novak Djokovic (6-4, 1-6, 6-4) in the semi-final.

However, Ruud seemed like a whole different player against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, where he sustained a 6-1, 6-4 loss. Nevertheless, the Norwegian rose in ranks as he jumped four spots to become the new ATP World No. 6. Ruud has recorded two dominant straight-set victories as the third seed at the Barcelona Open.

In the quarterfinal, he’s up against Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi, who’s yet to win a title on the ATP tour as a professional. On his way to the last eight, Arnaldi defeated 8th seed Sebastian Baez in a three-set thriller in the Round of 32. However, the 23-year-old will face one of the hot favourites to win the title in his next match.

Matteo Arnaldi vs Casper Ruud Match Details

Date: April 19, Friday.

Time: 5:20 PM (IST)

Venue: Pista Rafa Nadal at Real Club De Barcelona, Barcelona

Matteo Arnaldi vs Casper Ruud Preview

Casper Ruud enjoyed playing on the red surface and would also be looking forward to getting on track ahead of the upcoming Roland Garros win in the Catalan city. The Norwegian tennis star has been the runner-up in the last two editions of the Clay Court Major; in 2022, he lost against Rafael Nadal, while in the last edition, he suffered a heartbreaking loss against Novak Djokovic.

The 23-year-old faced Frenchman Alexandre Müller in his first match of the ATP 500 tournament, where he recorded a 6-3, 6-4 victory. In the next round, he ended Jordan Thompson’s contention with a 6-1, 6-4 win. The Norwegian tennis player is currently in decent form this year, as he has a win-loss record of 27-7 in 2024.

While Matteo Arnaldi is hungry for glory, he’s yet to prove himself on the big stage. At the Barcelona Open, Matteo Arnaldi’s first-round fixture ended early after Arthur Cazaux had to walkover due to an injury. Nevertheless, he recorded a magnificent 5-7, 7-6 (10-8), 6-2 win over Argentina’s Sebastian Baez in the second round before he defeated Marco Trungelliti to reach the quarterfinals. Arnaldi’s win-loss record in 2024 is 10-9, which can be a point of concern for the young Italian.

Head-to-Head Records

Matches : 1

Matteo Arnaldi : 1

Casper Ruud : 0

The two tennis stars have faced each other only once on the ATP tour yet. Their only meeting took place last year at the ATP 1000 Madrid Masters in the round of 64. Interestingly, on the outdoor clay surface, Arnaldi recorded a 6-3, 6-4 win over Ruud. After almost a year, the two are meeting again, but this time in Barcelona.

Where and how to watch the live streaming and TV broadcast of Matteo Arnaldi vs Casper Ruud, Barcelona Open 2024, quarterfinal match in India?

The clash between Arnaldi and Ruud will be live-streamed on Tennis TV for Indian viewers. However, there won’t be a live telecast for the ATP 500 event.

Prediction

On paper, Casper Ruud, the current ATP World no. 6, is most likely to win the match. However, if Matteo Arnaldi manages to break the Norewign tennis star’s serve on constant occasions, he’s destined to win the game. Ruud dominates on the first serve as he’s an offensive baseliner. As a result, he often faces trouble when the game gets pushed close to the net.

During their last meeting, the 23-year-old broke Casper Ruud’s serve six times out of the seven opportunities he had, with a success rate of 86%. Moreover, Matteo Arnaldi had an upper hand over the two-time Roland Garros runner-up in returning shots. Arnaldi won 13 net points compared to Ruud’s six, he also scored 33 winners compared to the Norwegian’s 20.

Hence, Ruud is surely the favourite to win the upcoming fixture, but the possibility of Arnaldi stunning the 25-year-old can’t be ruled out.

Results: Casper Ruud to win in three-sets

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