2021 US Open First Round – Casper Ruud vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
Where is Casper Ruud vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga taking place? Casper Ruud vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will take place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York, USA
When is Casper Ruud vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on and what time does it start? Monday 30th August, 2021 – not before 19:15 (UK)
What surface is Casper Ruud vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga being played on? Casper Ruud vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will take place on an outdoor hard court
Where can I get tickets for Casper Ruud vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Casper Ruud vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
What channel is Casper Ruud vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on in the UK? Amazon have exclusive rights to show the 2021 US Open in the UK so it is worth checking the Amazon Prime Video app on smart TVs for Casper Ruud vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Where can I stream Casper Ruud vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the UK? Amazon Prime subscribers may be able to stream Casper Ruud vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga live via their platform
THE LOWDOWN
CASPER RUUD
22-year-old Casper Ruud is fast becoming the King of Clay-elect ready to take over from the likes of Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem after winning four titles on the surface this season, including three in a row. The Norwegian is an excellent player off the surface too but there is plenty of room for improvement in his game on hard courts and grass especially. Having said that, Ruud’s best Grand Slam showing to date is a round of 16 placing at the Australian Open earlier this year.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA
Former world number five Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will be well-supported at Flushing Meadows as a beloved member of this century’s golden era in tennis. The 36-year-old has won just one match on tour this season and carries a seven-match losing streak into the US Open dating back from March but he competed valiantly at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. Tsonga lost in four sets to Yoshihito Nishioka in Paris and five sets in a thrilling contest with Mikael Ymer at Wimbledon last month with his love to perform in front of a crowd in no way diminishing. Tsonga reached one Grand Slam final, losing to Novak Djokovic at the 2008 Australian Open, but he was there or thereabouts for the best part of a decade at the top of the sport.
THE PREDICTION
This is tougher than it looks for the eighth seed Casper Ruud, with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga well capable of taking this to a decider if the Norwegian starts slowly. Tsonga will be well backed by adoring fans in New York and whilst Ruud has been immensely successful this season the general viewing public will know less of his four ATP titles won on clay than Tsonga’s 18 ATP titles from an illustrious career. What is more, Ruud is yet to really prove himself a top player on hard courts. It looks likely to come in the next few seasons but this could actually be a fairly even match for some of the time. Take Ruud to win outright here with Tsonga’s form a huge question mark but it would not be a surprise to see this end in four or five sets.
