World #5 Casper Ruud takes on in the final of the ATP Dallas Open, a 500 level event. Ruud reached five ATP finals last season, and is into his first this year while Denis Shapovalov continues his comeback into the ATP top 50, Shapovalov is back in an ATP final after winning ATP Belgrade 250 in November.

Casper Ruud vs Denis Shapovalov

Ruud has a 2-0 h2h lead but both meetings came on clay, and on this indoor hard court surface, the odds are much better for Canada’s star Shapovalov. Shapovalov took apart Tomas Machac and Tommy Paul in the second set of his last two matches, and won the match of the tournament against Taylor Fritz in the round prior to that (a three set thriller). Ruud needed to redline his game to see off a defiant Jaume Munar in a third set tiebreak.

Given that difference in performance, this feels like Shapovalov’s moment to shine in what should be a classic baseline battle on a quick indoor hard court. Shapovalov in 3

Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports