Christopher O'Connell and Emil Ruusuvuori will face each other in the first round of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday, February 28.
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Last week’s visit by Christopher O’Connell to Doha was fruitful for a number of reasons. He defeated a struggling Fernando Verdasco to earn his first tour-level main draw victory of the year, and after defeating an injured Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round, he went on to make a rare appearance in the quarterfinals at this level. The Australian also put on an impressive display in the match he lost to eventual champion and former world number one Daniil Medvedev, taking the second set and challenging the Russian all the way to the end.
The 28-year-old is having a third prosperous qualifying campaign in Dubai. In 2021 and 2022, he used this method to get into the tournament’s main draw, but on both occasions, Andy Murray and Lloyd Harris beat him in the opening round. Notably, he prevailed in the tiebreaker both times by taking first place.
This year’s subpar performance by Emil Ruusuvuori can be attributed to his opposition. Six of the nine matches he played on the main tour in the previous eight weeks were losses, including ones to eventual runner-up Benjamin Bonzi in Pune, Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open, eventual runner-up Maxime Cressy in Montpellier, Stefanos Tsitsipas in Rotterdam, and Jiri Lehecka, who was in fine form, in Doha. The Finn faced an Australian opponent in the first round of his lone previous main-draw campaign in Dubai in 2021 as well, and he easily defeated Jordan Thompson in straight sets, 6-3 7-6. At all levels of his career, he has a commanding 8-2 record against Australian opponents.
| Christopher O’Connell vs Emil Ruusuvuori | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | February 28, 2023 |
| Surface | Hard |
| Tournament | Dubai Tennis Champioships |
| Stage | Round of 32 |
| Time (India) | 3:30 pm |
| Time (Dubai) | 2 pm |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Quentin Halys | 6-7, 6-7 (W) |
| Kareem Allaf | 6-3, 6-4 (W) |
| Daniil Medvedev | 2-6, 6-4, 5-7 (L) |
| Roberto Bautista Agut | 6-3, 6-7, 4-6 (W) |
| Fernando Verdasco | 1-6, 6-3, 0-6 (W) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Jiri Lehecka | 6-2, 7-6 (L) |
| Dan Evans | 7-5, 6-4 (W) |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | 7-5, 6-1 (L) |
| Maxime Cressy | 6-4, 6-4 (L) |
| Elias Ymer | 6-4, 6-0 (W) |
Read More – ATP Dubai Tennis Championships 2023: Preview, Where to watch, Schedule, Dates, Seeds, Prize Money, Live Streaming details
0-0. Emil Ruusuvuori is the better player of the two, regardless of how they fared in Doha last week, and he is rightfully the favourite to win their first encounter.
Christopher O’Connell and Emil Ruusuvuori will face each other in the first round of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday, February 28.
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