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Casper Ruud vs Pedro Martinez: ATP Estoril – semifinal
Pedro Martinez has a chance for the biggest success in his career when he faces former Roland Garros finalist Casper Ruud in the semifinals of ATP Estoril.
Casper Ruud Profile
The defending champion in Estoril, Casper Ruud, is currently eighth in the ATP rankings, and his career high was No. 2 in the world. The Norwegian are 20-6 for the season and 2-0 on clay courts.
He is coming off a 6-3, 6-2 win over Marton Fucsovics in the quarterfinal. In the round of 16, Ruud had an even easier task, defeating Botic Van Den Zandschulp 6-1, 6-2.
Ruud is having a solid season so far, but the fact is that he lost both finals he played in 2024. In Los Cabos, he lost to Jordan Thompson, and the following week, he failed against Alex de Minaur in Acapulco.
Pedro Martinez Profile
Pedro Martinez is 77th in the rankings, while his career high was No. 40 in the world. The Argentinian is 17-6 for the season and 11-2 on clay courts.
He is on a great run, with Estoril winning all three matches in straight sets. He started with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Daniel Altmeier, then defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 6-4, and finally won 6-4, 6-4 against Richard Gasquet in the quarterfinals.
Last week, Martinez won the Challenger in Girona, defeating Radu Albat in the final 7-5, 6-4. Earlier in the season, he lost the final in Tenerife to Brandon Nakashima and made it to the semis in Santiago.
Head-to-Head Ruud leads 1-0
- Ruud vs Martinez 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 (2021 ATP Kitzbuhel, final)
Prediction and Conclusion
Both players enjoy playing on clay, which will make this match very interesting regardless of the fact that Martinez has very limited experience on the ATP tour. The Argentinian has shown that this may be the season for him. He won a Challenger last week and has had 11 wins in 13 matches on clay so far in the season. Still, Ruud is on a completely different level, as he has made it to the Roland Garros final before and has been among the top 10 players in the world for a while now. There is no doubt that Ruud is a huge favorite, but given the form of Martinez and the fact that he has not lost a set this week, the Argentinian will hang on in this match, which will go to over 21.5 games in total.
