We have seen a lot of matches in which Ruud has come out playing a little wild, and several of those matches have taken place in Melbourne. The list of players that have pushed Ruud to four sets at the Australian Open recently includes Cam Norrie, Max Purcell, Jenson Brooksby and a very green Tomas Machac (in 2023). In fact, dating back to the start of 2023, Ruud only has one straight-set win in five matches.
Munar is also coming off a very nice hard-court run in Hong Kong, where he earned wins over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Nuno Borges and Lorenzo Musetti. Munar just needs to do a good job of hitting his spots with his serve. If he does that, he should be able to put a dent in the scoreboard.
Ruud should be able to find a way through in the end, and he’s a player that has the talent required to have a big year. We have seen that throughout his career, with three runner-up major finishes. But Ruud is no stranger to letdown performances on big stages. And while this isn’t quite Wimbledon, it is an extremely fast hard court. So, there are similarities in the ways he can be rushed and frustrated.
And for what it’s worth, Munar beat Ruud in straight sets on indoor hard courts back in 2022—the most recent meeting between these two.
Pick: Over 3.5 Sets (-122)
