21-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will take on Norway’s Casper Ruud in the final of the Roland Garros
Rafael Nadal’s form coming into the match
Rafael Nadal is will be playing in the final encounter after receiving a walkover from Alexander Zverev mid-way through their semi-final match. The Spaniard is high on confidence after a dominating 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 win against defending champion, Novak Djokovic previously in the quarters.
Earlier in the third round, Nadal got the better of van de Zandschulp in straight sets. The Spaniard stormed into the third round of the French Open after defeating France’s Corentin Moutet in straight sets 6-3, 6-1, 6-4. He previously defeated Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the first round.
The Spaniard had earlier suffered a hiccup in his fourth round match against 9th seed Felix Auger- Aliassime but managed to do enough to win the marathon five-set match – 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, coming back from one set down.
Nadal is aiming for a record 22nd Grand Slam in Paris and the final against Ruud is undoubtedly going to be a tricky challenge.
Casper Ruud’s form coming into the match
Casper Ruud is seeded eighth in the tournament and has certainly lived up to his billing so far in the tournament. He started his campaign with a win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Norwegian then defeated Emil Ruusuvori before playing out a five-set thriller against Lorenzo Sonego. Rudd got the better of 12th seed Hubert Hurkacz in the fourth round before defeating Holger Rune in the quarter finals.
In the semi-final against Marin Cilic, Ruud came back from a set down to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Ruud has been thoroughly impressive so far but will undoubtedly face an uphill task against the 13-time Roland Garros champion in the final.
Details:
| Date | Sunday, 5th June |
| Court type | Outdoor clay court |
| Watch | Sony Network and Sony LIV |
| Start time | 06: 30 pm IST |
| Venue | Philippe-Chatrier |
| Match details | Final |
Head to head and Predictions
Nadal and Ruud have never faced each other before on the ATP tour. On paper, Nadal is the outright favourite both in terms of rankings and past history in the tournament. However, the young Norwegian certainly has the potential to spring up a surprise. We are predicting a win in four sets for Rafael Nadal.
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