Cincinnati Open: Alexander Zverev vs. Casper Ruud 8/20/21 Tennis Prediction

Third seeded German Alexander Zverev will face eighth seed Casper Ruud of Norway in the Quarter-Finals of the 2021 Cincinnati Open. The match is scheduled to be played on Friday August 20th, 2021 at approximately 8:30pm EST.

Yet another blockbuster Quarter-Final is expected here at the Cincinnati Open as Alexander Zverev faces Casper Ruud in a battle between two of the most in-form players this season. They have both been playing well this week and are sure to provide a high-quality match here. Can the Norwegian continue his incredible momentum that he has built this summer and cause the upset here? Or will the favored Zverev march on in search of his second Masters title this year?

Alexander Zverev is currently ranked #5 in the world and is the third seed here at the Cincinnati Open after the withdrawals of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Along with Medvedev and Tsitsipas he is one of the main contenders for the title here, and will be hoping for a strong finish to the week as he concludes his US Open preparations. The big German is yet to lose a set so far, defeating Lloyd Harris and Guido Pella in convincing fashion. He has been serving extremely well, and that along with his strong all-court game makes him very difficult to defeat. He is able to transition from offense to defense very easily, and he should be considered the favorite here, but will have to be careful against his opponent Casper Ruud who is possibly the most in-form player on the ATP Tour at the moment.

Casper Ruud is the eighth seed here at the 2021 Cincinnati Open and is ranked at a career-high #11. The Norwegian star has been in fantastic form over the past few weeks, winning three consecutive titles and reaching the Quarter-Finals last week at the Rogers Cup. He has been playing great tennis since the start of the year and has to be considered a dark horse contender for the US Open title, especially with the high-profile withdrawals that we have seen so far. His aggressive baseline game and elite movement makes him a very difficult opponent on any surface, and his serve (which has traditionally been his weakness) has been improving. While he is the underdog here against Alexander Zverev, he should not be discounted due to his outstanding play over the past few months and he is certainly capable of causing an upset here.

This is surprisingly the first time that these two have met on the ATP Tour, and I am expecting a classic. Both men are playing some fantastic tennis at the moment and their game styles match up perfectly. Alexander Zverev is the obvious favorite here, and while Ruud has been in some seriously good form, I think the German has a bit too much firepower for him to handle. If Zverev has lapses in concentration (as he is prone to) then Ruud can certainly take advantage, but Zverev seems to be peaking at the right moment as he attempts to go one step further than his runner-up finish at the US Open last year, and I see him winning this match. Two close sets is the most likely outcome although I wouldn’t be surprised to see three, but expect the German to win here, advancing to the Semi-Finals in Cincinnati.