De Minaur vs Ruud United Cup Prediction 1/3/2026 Today’s Tennis Picks

Alex De Minaur of Australia will face Casper Ruud of Norway in the men’s singles match in Group D of the 2026 United Cup in Sydney. The match is scheduled for Saturday, December 3. Here’s our Alex De Minaur vs Casper Ruud prediction. This preview will also include an Alex De Minaur vs Casper Ruud pick.

Tournament Details

Tournament name: United Cup
Host cities: Perth, Sydney
Date: 2 – 11 January 2026
Field: 18 countries
Total prize money: $11,806,190

Alex De Minaur vs Casper Ruud Preview

Alex De Minaur is making his fourth appearance at the United Cup. De Minaur is ranked 7th in the ATP rankings, coming off a fine season on tour where he won the ATP 500 title in Washington, D.C., and qualified for the season-ending championships at the ATP Finals in Turin. De Minaur won one match in the group stage at the event, but it was still sufficient to earn him a spot in the semifinals, where he lost to eventual tournament champion Jannik Sinner.

Overall, De Minaur compiled 55 wins and 24 losses, which translated to a 69.6% win rate record. This is the highest at the tour level in his career. De Minaur also made the quarterfinals in two of the four Grand Slams last season. He has a pretty decent record in the United Cup with a 6-2 record in singles, and that includes wins over Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev.

Casper Ruud will fly the Norway flag in Sydney in a very tough opening fixture against the home nation. Ruud has competed in the United Cup since the tournament’s inception in 2023 and owns a 6-1 record in singles. He’s had to shoulder the burden for his country more often than not, and he will most likely need to do the same if they are to keep a faint hope of qualifying in the knockout phase.

Ruud compiled 37 wins and 17 losses in 2025. It was a season in which he finally won an ATP 1000 in Madrid. Ruud added a second title when he triumphed at the ATP 250 in Stockholm and finished the year ranked 12th in the rankings. Ruud’s last ATP event was the Paris Masters, where he lost his opening match to Daniel Altmaier.

Alex De Minaur vs Casper Ruud Head-To-Head

De Minaur and Ruud have met three times before this. The Australian leads the series 2-1, winning matches at the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals and more recently in the final of the Mexican Open last year. Ruud’s only win was at a Challenger event in 2018.

Alex De Minaur vs Casper Ruud Prediction

Ruud has an excellent singles record in this tournament with six wins from seven matches. But he’s up against a home crowd favorite and De Minaur has been ever so reliable in rising to the occasion at this event. Give me the tried and tested De Minaur to edge this.

Nur Said's Pick: Alex De Minaur in three sets