Tennis acca tips: Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev top make winning ATP Tour returns
Andrey Rublev
Here Planet Sport presents select leads to guide you as you build your tennis accumulator on Thursday 20 July 2023.
A handful of big-name players are returning to action on the professional tours on Thursday.
There is top-level tennis going down across Europe and North America.
Here we take a look at selected matches scheduled to be on the Order of Play on Thursday and try to pick the winners.
ATP Bastad:
Alexander Zverev vs Thiago Monteiro | Pick: Zverev
ATP Bastad:
Casper Ruud vs Alexander Shevchenko | Pick: Ruud
ATP Bastad:
Pavel Kotov vs Andrey Rublev | Pick: Rublev
ATP Gstaad:
Jaume Munar vs Stan Wawrinka | Pick: Wawrinka
WTA Budapest:
Anna Bondar vs Elina Avanesyan | Pick: Bondar
WTA Budapest:
Nadia Podoroska vs Anna Siskova | Pick: Podoroska
WTA Palermo:
Dayana Yastremska vs Jasmine Paolini | Pick: Paolini
WTA Palermo:
Daria Kasatkina vs Tatiana Barkova Prozorova | Pick: Kasatkina
WTA Palermo:
Sofya Lansere vs Mayar Sherif | Pick: Sherif
ATP Bastad: Alexander Zverev vs Thiago Monteiro
Alexander Zverev and Thiago Monteiro have faced each other twice in senior men's tennis but have never met in an ATP Tour clash.
Monteiro beat a then 16-year-old Zverev in their first meeting in qualifying for the Panama City Challenger event in 2014 while the German would avenge his loss when he lined up against the Brazilian in the 2022 Davis Cup.
If Zverev is anywhere near on his game then Monteiro is unlikely to trouble him.
Through his controversies and tantrums it is often forgotten just how special a player Zverev can be.
ATP Bastad: Casper Ruud vs Alexander Shevchenko
After a first round bye, Casper Ruud finally takes to the court in Bastad on Thursday.
Ruud will play for the first time since his stunning second round loss to Liam Broady at Wimbledon.
The world No 4 will be looking to bounce back and this match-up on his favoured surface gives him the perfect opportunity.
Ruud and Shevchenko haven't crossed paths before but the 92 rankings places separating the players make the Norwegian the clear favourite.
ATP Bastad: Pavel Kotov vs Andrey Rublev
Andrey Rublev faces compatriot Pavel Kotov in the last sixteen with the former in action for the first time since his last eight defeat to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
Rublev is one of several big name contenders for the Bastad title with the Race to Turin likely a factor in the world No 7 entering the Swedish Open.
Kotov might struggle to live with Rublev's booming groundstrokes in the first meeting between the countrymen.
Rublev is one of the favourites for the Swedish Open title and should have too much in his bag for Kotov to make a match of it.
ATP Gstaad: Jaume Munar vs Stan Wawrinka
Stan Wawrinka was well in charge of his opening round match against sixth seed Roberto Carballés Baena when the Spaniard retired and now Jaume Munar is an obstacle on his path to home event glory.
Munar beat a Swiss player in the opening round as he breezed beyond Alexander Ritschard but Grand Slam winner Wawrinka represents a significant step up.
Wawrinka has plenty in the tank and his skills on clay are still world class such that Munar will likely do well to avoid a straight sets loss.
This will be the first meeting between Wawrinka and Munar at any level.
WTA Budapest: Anna Bondar vs Elina Avanesyan
Playing in front of her home crowd Anna Bondar will be eager to cause a minor upset when she faces Elina Avanesyan.
The former Top 50 Bondar snapped a five match losing streak in the opening round of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Bondar defeated Avanesyan at the Transylvania Open in 2022 in their only previous meeting.
On her home turf, Bondar should be a force to be reckoned and could defy rankings with another victory.
WTA Budapest: Nadia Podoroska vs Anna Siskova
Nadia Podoroska showed glimpses of her best tennis in her opening round win over Storm Hunter and she faces Czech qualifer Anna Siskova in the round of 16.
Siskova has already spent nearly six hours on court in Budapest this week, to battle into the main draw and then beyond Russian Evgeniya Rodina in straight sets.
Podoroska put away a more powerful player in her last outing and will likely do the same when she face Siskova.
Podoroska and Siskova have not met before on the WTA Tour however the former's edge in experience should be decisive.
WTA Palermo: Dayana Yastremska vs Jasmine Paolini
In five of their six meetings Jasmine Paolini has bested Dayana Yastremska and she should let her chip into that lead in Palermo.
Paolini is set to return to the top 50 next week but a spot in the last eight on the island of Sicily would sweeten the deal for her.
Yastremska is a better player than her current No 149 ranking suggests but Paolini already has the blueprint for victory.
Yastremska hasn't done enough to suggest she will be able to turn the tables on Paolini
WTA Palermo: Daria Kasatkina vs Tatiana Prozorova
It's another all-Russian clash as Daria Kasatkina faces qualifier Tatiana Prozorova in the Palermo last 16.
Kasatkina showed that she was dialled in when she rallied from losing the second set of her Palermo opener to Martina Trevisan in a tiebreak by bagelling the home hope in the decider.
Prozorova was too good for Uzbekistan's Nigina Abduraimova in the first round but her compatriot will show her what it's like to face a top 20 player.
Kasatkina and Prozorova have never faced one another in a competitive match at any level.
WTA Palermo: Sofya Lansere vs Mayar Sherif
Mayar Sherif won her first WTA Tour title in Valencia last month and should still be riding high on confidence.
Egypt's top woman also enjoys clay and should feel that the draw has opened up nicely for her.
Lansere bested an injured Olga Danilovic in the first set of their first round match before the Serb retired while Sherif needed three sets to get beyond Jessica Maneiro.
Sherif should have the beating of a player ranked more than 300 places below her on the WTA Rankings.
