Stricker in front 2-1 in the opener, but it's far too early to read much into that. I still make Ruud the favourite from here: vastly more tour-level hard court behind him (10-11 in the last twelve months against Stricker mostly at Challenger level), he's fresh off a Shanghai run, and a 68-32 kind of gap doesn't get erased by three games. My call is Ruud in three, with Stricker's lefty serve and home crowd keeping it closer than the rankings suggest.
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Stricker in front 2-1 in the opener, but it's far too early to read much into that. I still make Ruud the favourite from here: vastly more tour-level hard court behind him (10-11 in the last twelve months against Stricker mostly at Challenger level), he's fresh off a Shanghai run, and a 68-32 kind of gap doesn't get erased by three games. My call is Ruud in three, with Stricker's lefty serve and home crowd keeping it closer than the rankings suggest.