US Open Round of 16: Casper Ruud vs Taylor Fritz betting preview

With Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz shockingly out of the US Open, the quest for the title is wide open. On Sunday, two potential contenders in the top half of the men’s bracket will meet as Norwegian Casper Ruud faces American Taylor Fritz. Ruud was taken to a full five sets by China’s JC Shang in the third round but ultimately prevailed victorious. As for Fritz, he beat Argentine Francisco Comesana in three sets. Below, we’ll dive into the head-to-head history between Ruud and Fritz while previewing their form at the moment. 

Head-to-head info

There’s only been two meetings all time between Casper Ruud and Taylor Fritz. Both resulted in wins for the Norwegian star. He took down Fritz in three sets at the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals before a four-set victory at this year’s French Open at Roland Garros. Despite that, Fritz has slightly better odds here to win at Sports Interaction.

Respectable season for Ruud

Ruud is currently the No. 8 ranked player in the world and has won a pair of titles in ‘24 at Geneva and Barcelona. Both are clay surface events, which tends to be a strength for him. Ruud made the semifinals at the French Open before losing to Alexander Zverev. That was his best finish at a major this year, crashing out early at the Aussie Open and Wimbledon.

Overall, Ruud has a 44-14 record this year and has made nearly $10 million in earnings. As for his US Open journey, the 25-year-old had to rally past Shang on Friday, losing the first two sets before winning three in a row. Ruud also took down Gael Monfils in the second round in Flushing Meadows in four sets.

This is a tournament where Ruud has enjoyed success. He made the final in 2022 but lost to Alcaraz in four sets in what was a hard-fought battle. The bracket is wide open for Ruud to make a run to another final with the two best players on the Tour gone. We’ll see if he can stay unbeaten against Fritz. The thing he’ll need to be able to contain is the American’s electrifying serve, which is his biggest strength. Fritz also comes in hot, having won every single set to this point at the ‘24 US Open. Ruud cannot come out sluggish as he did in the third round because Fritz is a much better player who will take advantage. Ruud is a slim underdog at tennis betting sites.

Taylor Fritz is hot

Perhaps it’s the comfortability of playing on home soil but Fritz is rolling right now. The No. 12 ranked player in the world eliminated a pair of Argentines while also beating Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the second round, a player who was once a top-20 guy on the ATP Tour. On top of not dropping a set at this edition of the US Open, Fritz has only been taken to one tiebreaker.

Leading up to New York, however, Fritz wasn’t in the best form. He crashed out in the Round of 32 at the ATP Masters in Montreal and lost in the Round of 64 in Cincinnati to fellow American Brandon Nakashima. Fritz also exited in the Round of 16 at the Paris Olympics. When it comes to Grand Slams, he made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, the Round of 16 at the French Open, and the quarterfinals at the Aussie Open in Melbourne.

Sure, maybe the results aren’t always there at ATP events, but Fritz has made his presence felt in the tournaments that matter the most. Just like Ruud, Fritz has two titles to his name this year at Eastbourne and Delray Beach. While there have been a few early exits in ‘24, overall Fritz typically made it deep into most tournaments. His best finish at the US Open was last year, losing in the quarters.