Looking for our best bet on Ruud's quarterfinal match? Click here!
Ruud vs. Hurkacz Odds
| Ruud Odds | -170 |
| Hurkacz Odds | +140 |
| Total | 38.5 (-115 / -105) |
| Time | 6:30 a.m. ET |
| Odds via DraftKings. For tips on watching tennis matches, click here. | |
Casper Ruud has emerged as one of the very best clay-court players in the world, but he'll be playing in his first Roland Garros fourth round on Monday.
His opponent, Hubert Hurkacz, has turned into a mainstay in Grand Slam and Masters quarterfinals but has never had the level of success at the French Open that he has in 2022.
With two of the game's best young players going head-to-head, we're sure to be treated to an exciting match. Let's get into how to bet this one.
Ruud In Uncharted Waters
The young Norwegian has made a name for himself on the clay, rising to the top-10 last year after title after winning four titles, but he hasn't been as sharp on the surface as he's been in years past.
Ruud was a ridiculous 28-5 on clay last year and is just 18-5 this season. While it's hard to call him bad by any stretch of the imagination, it's clear he did some work to improve his hardcourt game and may have left clay as an afterthought.
Regardless, he's here in the Fourth Round of the French Open. It's the furthest he's ever made it in a Grand Slam, matching his run at the Australian Open last season.
If there's one knock on Ruud, it's his inability to produce in the biggest tournaments of the year. He only reached his first Masters final this season in Miami, and it came as the result of a wacky draw filled with upsets and retirements. The nerves will be put to the test on Monday.
Ruud had a nervous match against Lorenzo Sonego last round and nearly didn't make it here. He dropped the second and third sets before storming back with a couple of big breaks in the next two sets to take the match.
Between that and his first-round win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga which would have gone five if not for an injury at an inopportune Tsonga injury, it hasn't exactly been the most convincing run in Paris.
Hurkacz Finding New Clay Ability
The tall Pole, ranked No. 13 in the world, is a perfect foil to Ruud. He'll go missing for parts of the season when the stakes are low only to turn up his game for the biggest tournaments of the year.
No matter what, this guy seems to find a way to the quarters every time a Masters 1000 or Grand Slam comes around.
Up until this season, though, the jury was very much still out on whether or not Hurkacz could play on clay. His game is reliant on a quick surface considering his massive serve and steady strokes, but he's displayed in short order that it can put away some quality opponents on this surface.
Hurkacz was just 1-4 on clay last year, 6-5 the year before that and 7-7 in 2019. This year, he's only lost three times in 12 clay matches, and he made the quarterfinals in two of the three Masters 1000 tournaments played on clay. He's continued to dominate here in Paris with three wins in straight sets.
Betting Value
Somehow, these two have never met before. It's sure to be an excellent match filled with incredible shot-making and it'll feature some brutality off of both forehand wings.
Hurkacz has a couple of legs up here on Ruud in my opinion. First off, he's actually been here before and won big matches at Grand Slams, reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon last year and tackling some of the giants of the sport.
He's also able to hit a killer cross-court forehand into the Ruud backhand, which is a huge liability.
That's really what's held Ruud back to this point, and Hurkacz will be happy to trade backhands all match long.
Sonego was able to make his way into his third-round match with Ruud by applying some tremendous pressure with easy service holds and blistering power to the backhand side.
Hurkacz will do the same, and the only difference is that Hurkacz will have the composure to finish the job.
Pick: Hurkacz +140
