Somewhat surprisingly, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud will be facing each other for just the third time on the main tour when they battle for a spot in the final of the Mifel Tennis Open on Friday night. They split their two previous encounters; Ruud won 7-6(4), 6-4 on the red clay of Madrid in 2021 before Tsitsipas prevailed 6-1, 6-4 a few months later on the hard courts of the Toronto Masters.
Tsitsipas had been just 5-2 in 2024 prior to this week, but a return to Acapulco has–to the surprise of surely no one–been just what the doctor ordered. The 11th-ranked Greek captured the title in his first trip to this tournament last year, and it’s also worth noting that he is 7-2 lifetime in Acapulco with one runner-up performance. Tsitsipas simply loves playing in Mexico. Up to his usual tricks in Los Cabos, the 25-year-old earned his place in the semis with straight-set victories over Aleksandar Vukic and Aleksandar Kovacevic.
The story is a similar one for Ruud, who has also plunged outside the top 10 to 12th in the rankings. However, Los Cabos is proving to be a confidence builder for the Norwegian. He has been dominant this week, beating a previously red hot Marcos Giron 6-1, 6-0 before making 6-3, 6-2 mincemeat out of an in-form Nuno Borges.
Conditions are favorable for both players, but the relative slowness of the surface may give Ruud even more of an advantage. It should be a pretty good matchup for him, too, as Ruud’s heavy-topspin forehand directed inside out to Tsitsipas’ often-shaky one-handed backhand can be an effective tactic.
Ruud is really on a roll in Los Cabos; look for him to keep it going.
Pick: Ruud in 3
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