Tomas Machac vs Casper Ruud – First Round – Preview & Prediction | 2023 Australian Open
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THE FACTS
When is Tomas Machac vs Casper Ruud on and what time does it start? Tomas Machac vs Casper Ruud will take place on Tuesday 17th January, 2023 – not before 02:30 (UK)
Where is Tomas Machac vs Casper Ruud taking place? Tomas Machac vs Casper Ruud will take place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia
What surface is Tomas Machac vs Casper Ruud being played on? Tomas Machac vs Casper Ruud will take place on an outdoor hard court
Where can I get tickets for Tomas Machac vs Casper Ruud? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Tomas Machac vs Casper Ruud
What channel is Tomas Machac vs Casper Ruud on in the UK? Tomas Machac vs Casper Ruud will be televised live on Eurosport
Where can I stream Tomas Machac vs Casper Ruud in the UK? Eurosport subscribers can stream Tomas Machac vs Casper Ruud live on their website, while Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match live on Sky Go
THE LOWDOWN
24-year-old Casper Ruud set a career-high ATP world ranking of second last year in what was a transformative season for the Norwegian. Ruud won a further three ATP 250 titles on clay to take his career total to nine but it was his near-misses that defined the year as he finished runner-up at Roland-Garros to Rafael Nadal, the US Open to Carlos Alcaraz, the latter of whom also beat him in his maiden Masters final in Miami, and the ATP Finals to Novak Djokovic. Ruud was forced to retire with an injury in the round of 16 here last season in his best run to date in Melbourne.
THE PREDICTION
There is a genuine scent of an upset about this first meeting between world number 115 Tomas Machac and second seed Casper Ruud, with the Norwegian’s first outing in 2023 a shock loss to Laslo Djere from a set up at the Auckland Classic on Wednesday. Ruud can often need a few matches to get back up to speed and that makes taking 22-year-old Machac to earn at least a set here the shrewd move, particularly as the Czech has taken sets from the likes of Taylor Fritz, Matteo Berrettini and Botic van de Zandschulp in defeats at Grand Slams over the last few seasons.
