Casper Ruud takes on Alex Molcan in the second round of the BMW Open
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Casper Ruud vs Alex Molcan.
Date: 28 April 2022.
Tournament: BMW Open 2022.
Round: Second Round (Round of 16).
Venue: MTTC Iphitos.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €534,555.
Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video | India – Discovery.
Casper Ruud vs Alex Molcan preview
Casper Ruud is the second seed at the BMW Open
Second seed Casper Ruud takes on Alex Molcan in the second round of the BMW Open in Munich. The Norwegian is among the favorites to win the competition and will be keen to go all the way after exiting the Barcelona Open in the quarterfinals.
Ruud won two out of three matches at the ATP Cup to kickstart his 2022 season but was unable to compete at the Australian Open due to injury. He returned to action at the Argentina Open and won the title by beating Diego Schwartzman in the final despite being a set down.
The 23-year-old then reached the third round of the Indian Wells Masters before losing to Nick Kyrgios. Ruud followed this up with his maiden Masters 1000 final in Miami but was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets. The Norwegian’s run in the tournament saw him reach a career-high ranking of World No. 7.
Ruud then competed at the Monte-Carlo Masters as the fourth seed and suffered a third-round elimination against Grigor Dimitrov. The 23-year-old entered the Barcelona Open as the second seed following that defeat.
He beat Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 6-2 before triumphing over Emil Ruusuvuori to reach the quarterfinals. Ruud was up against Pablo Carreno Busta in the last eight and had three match points to seal the contest. However, the Spaniard saved them all and eventually beat him in three sets.
Molcan, meanwhile, started the season by reaching the quarterfinals of the Melbourne Summer Set 1 where he lost to Ruusuvuori. He then exited the Australian Open in the second round.
After suffering a first-round exit at the Open Sud de France, Molcan faced second-round eliminations at the Qatar Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships. He then reached his first final of the season at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, beating top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the process.
However, the 24-year-old lost to David Goffin in the summit clash despite being up by a set.
At the BMW Open in Munich, Molcan beat compatriot Norbert Gombos in three sets to reach the second round.
Casper Ruud vs Alex Molcan head-to-head
This will be the very first meeting between Ruud and Molcan, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Casper Ruud vs Alex Molcan odds
Casper Ruud is heavily favored to win this match and progress to the quarterfinals. The Norwegian has won 16 out of 22 matches this season and has already reached a Masters 1000 final. Molcan, on the other hand, has won 10 out of 16 matches in 2022.
All odds sourced from Oddschecker.
Casper Ruud vs Alex Molcan prediction
Ruud will enter the match as the heavy favorite to win given that he is one of the best claycourt players around. The Norwegian has won 35 out of 42 matches on the surface since 2021.
However, Molcan produced a victory over the more-fancied Auger-Aliassime not long ago and should not be written off either.
Ruud will look to dictate the match from the baseline with his topspin-heavy forehand. The Norwegian is a good defensive player but has also been a bit more aggressive lately. He will no doubt make it very difficult for the left-handed Molcan to tackle him and win points.
It is worth noting that Ruud has suffered a few defeats to lower-ranked opponents. However, a repeat of those instances looks unlikely and he should have little trouble getting the better of Molcan to make it into the quarterfinals of the BMW Open.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets.