Alex de Minaur vs Casper Ruud Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Demon to win close United Cup opener

Once again, de Minaur comes into the Australian summer as the nation's top-ranked male and the only realistic hope of going deep into the first Grand Slam of the season. De Minaur has elevated his game over the last couple of years, becoming a top 10 mainstay and doing a great job of almost always beating those ranked below him. The next step is finding a big weapon and challenging the very best in the world - namely Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Easier said than done, but it will be interesting to see how much more progress Demon - currently No. 7 - can make towards the very top echelons of the rankings. You can already see he's put on a bit of muscle over the off-season. Ruud meanwhile will be hoping to claw his way back into the top 10 in 2026 after finishing last year at No. 12. The Norwegian will once again be a big threat on clay, but whether that translates to hardcourt is always the question.

Both of these players have outstanding records representing their country at the United Cup and with this being their first match of the season, it could take a while for the pair to find some rhythm. Surprisingly, this is only their second ever meeting at tour-level too. De Minaur and Ruud both love the grind from the baseline, with the former chasing down every ball, absorbing pace and redirecting and the latter looking to dictate with the heavy topspin forehand. Demon should have the edge on a hardcourt in Australia, but I think this will be tight.

It was another stellar season for De Minaur in 2025 - he ranked among the best for most wins on hardcourt and finished the year at No. 7 in the world.

The Aussie made his first Australian Open quarter-final to begin the year before reaching the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters, clinching his 10th career title at the 500 event in Washington and made two more major quarter-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.

De Minaur also ended the year brightly, making the semi-finals of the year-end ATP Finals for the first time in his career, where he went down to eventual champion Jannik Sinner following a very competitive first set.

The 26-year-old has defeated the likes of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in previous United Cup competitions, so he will be fired up yet again to lead Australia into battle over the next week.

Ruud had an underrated year in 2025, with injury cruelly robbing him of making an impact at his favourite tournament at Roland Garros.

The Norwegian captured his maiden Masters 1000 title in Madrid and also had nice runs at ATP 500 events on hardcourt, making the Dallas final and reaching the semi-finals in Tokyo.

Ending the year by securing the 250 title indoors in Stockholm proved Ruud can be a top player on fast hardcourt surfaces, so it will be interesting to see which direction he goes in 2026.

Ruud traditionally plays well at the United Cup, where he is always the nation's star player. The 27-year-old defeated Hubert Hurkacz and Tomas Machac at this tournament last year.

Watch and bet on Alex de Minaur vs Casper Ruud live United Cup tennis from Sydney.

You can watch and bet on the match live at Unibet > Tennis > United Cup with the action available to stream on desktop and mobile.

Geo-restrictions apply, you'll need a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours to gain access. 18+ terms and conditions apply.