Ruud and Kecmanovic Meet in Estoril Final – Casper Ruud and Miomir Kecmanovic face each other in the final of the Estoril Open after winning their semifinal matches on Saturday. Ruud, the tournament’s top seed, outclassed Quentin Halys of France in three sets, 6-4 3-6 7-6(7/2), while Kecmanovic, seeded sixth, dispatched Marco Cecchinato of Italy in straight sets, 6-3 6-1. Tennis betting sites expect a close fight between two experienced netters who seek to improve on their rankings in the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour.
Ruud and Kecmanovic: Ruud’s Brilliance Tops Power-Serving Halys
Ruud survived the power-serving Halys by using his extensive experience to beat the Frenchman in more than two hours. Halys’ 16 aces were put to waste by the Norwegian’s all-around brilliance. Ruud won 71% of his second serves and had two double faults while Halys won 79% of his first serves but had five double faults. In the second match, Kecmanovic continued his run of straight-set wins for this tournament as he demolished Cecchinato in 68 minutes. The Serbian connected on four of eight break chances while unleashing five aces that freezed the Italian. Kecmanovic will look to win his second ATP Tour title after his 2020 triumph in Kitzbuehel while Ruud will play for his 10th ATP-level title. The Serbian has defeated the Norwegian in their past two encounters but the final is their first meeting since 2019.
Carballes Baena, Muller Secure Marrakech Final Duel
Roberto Carballes Baena and Alexandre Muller set up a final clash at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech on Saturday. Unseeded Carballes Baena overcome second seed Dan Evans, 2-6 6-4 6-2, in the semifinals while Muller outsteadied Pavel Kotov, 7-6(7/3) 7-5. Carballes Baena used a five-game run to take the second set and lead 2-0 in the third. Evans tried to reverse the tide, but it was too late as the Spaniard kept pouncing and took out his British foe. Before beating Evans, Carballes Baena outclassed fifth seed Maxime Cressy in the first round and fourth-ranked Tallon Griekspoor in the quarterfinals. Muller secured his first finals ticket with a win over Kotov. The 126th-ranked Frenchman is set to barge into the Top 100 for the first time on Monday. He will seek revenge for the setback in the 2019 French Open where Carballes Baena won.
Online ATP betting aficionados are expecting a tough battle between the two unseeded stars as they will aim for a breakthrough title that will improve their rankings once the latest men’s singles standings are released. The match could give either player the break that they need to barge through the top of the charts. Carballes Baena, who is ranked 77th in the world, will look to secure his second singles title of his career while Muller seeks to claim his first title ever in the ATP circuit.
