Day 2 at the ATP event in Rio de Janeiro will feature plenty of high-level matches. Most of the attention will be rightly directed to Carlos Alcaraz’s tournament debut, but there’ll be plenty of other exciting action going on, including the debut of the other Buenos Aires finalist Cameron Norrie.
ATP Rio de Janeiro Day 2 Predictions
Juan Manuel Cerundolo vs Cameron Norrie
Head-to-head: first meeting
Norrie reached the final last week in Buenos Aires, losing to Carlos Alcaraz, but he’s one of the fittest players on tour and is highly unlikely to feel the effects of that run. He’ll be ready to go again this week, where he’s once again the #2 seed and one of the favorites. Cerundolo is unlikely to pose a lot of resistence, but he’s a young players with some upside, a bit of an unknown quantity, so Norrie will have to be careful here.
Prediction: Norrie in 2
Fabio Fognini vs Tomas Barrios Vera
Head-to-head: first meeting
Under normal circusmtances, Fognini, a former finalist of this tournament, would be a clear favorite, but his best days are far behind him. He comes into this match on the back of four consecutive losses and is on the verge of dropping out of the top 100. The 25-year-old Chilean has an excellent opportunity to grab a win here against a much declined opponent.
Prediction: Barrios Vera in 3
Dusan Lajovic vs Diego Schwartzman
Head-to-head: Schwartzman 3-1 Lajovic
Schwartzman is having a very tough time lately: he has won only one of his last twelve matches, the first round at the Australian Open. He has been playing terribly lately, completely lacks confidence and has been falling down the rankings at a rapid pace. If he’s ever going to turn the situation around, though, this seems like a good place to do it: Rio is where the Argentine won the biggest title of his career back in 2018 after all.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 3
Main Photo Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
