First round

Ruusuvuori (2.08) v Bedene (1.9)

Due to start at 4 pm

This is their first meeting.

Overall results are better for Ruusuvuori in the last 12 months. His hard court results are also better. Most of his wins were in qualifying rounds. He reached the second round last week as a qualifier and took Matteo Berrettini to 3 sets. He reached the final of a Challenger on hard courts in Canberra in January.

Bedene reached the third round of the Cincinnati tournament last week as a qualifier. He knocked out Taylor Fritz in the second round as underdog. He reached the quarter finals in Doha in January. He made the third round at the US Open in 2019.

Bedene should take this but he won’t win in straight sets. Back him around 2.20. Lay the set 1 winner.

Update: Very close match. A single late break for Ruusuvuori was enough to give him the set. Bedene took the second set also with a single break. Bedene switched off after winning that set and went 5-0 down in the next set and lost it 6-1.
In set 4 he went behind to an early break but broke his opponent’s serve twice to level the match. He again tuned out mentally after winning a set and easily lost the 5th.
Ruusuvuori won 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1

 

First round

Giorgi (1.47) v Van Uytvanck (2.86)

Due to start around 11:30 pm

Giorgi has won all 3 of their previous matches. Their last meeting was indoors in Linz in October 2018. She won in straight sets. She won their only hard court match in 2015 in Miami. She won all their matches in 2 sets.

Overall results favour Giorgi in the last 12 months and also in 2020. Their 12 month hard court results are even but Giorgi has the lead in 2020.

Giorgi made the third round at the Australian Open. Last season she reached the quarter finals in Osaka in September and the final in New York in August. She has another final in Washington in July. She lost to Sakkari in the first round of the US Open.

Van Uytvanck won the title in Tashkent in Sep. In August last year she reached the quarter finals in Hiroshima after losing in the second round at the US Open. She has quite limited success on hard courts.

I give a slight edge to Giorgi based on her form this season and their previous matches. Back her around 1.85 to 2.00. Back her if she loses set 1.

Update: Giorgi made a really slow start and was 3-0 and a double break behind. Van Uytvanck easily took the set. The second set was a complete reversal with Giorgi taking it with a double break.
The deciding set was a bit of a mess. Van Uytvanck took a 4-1 lead with a single break. She served for the match at 5-3 but was broken and didn’t win another game.
Giorgi won 2-6, 6-1, 7-5.