The remaining second-round matches have been scheduled for Thursday at the 2024 ATP Rio Open. Buenos Aires champion Facundo Diaz Acosta will look for his 7th straight win, while wunderkind Joao Fonseca hopes to keep going at his hometown event. Who do you think will make the quarterfinals?
ATP Rio de Janeiro Day 4 Predictions
Thiago Monteiro vs Felipe Meligeni Alves
Head-to-head: Monteiro 1-0
No one expected this all-Brazilian matchup in round two here, but rather Carlos Alcaraz simply beating the two home crowd favorites back-to-back. The top seed slipped and rolled his ankle though, sending Thiago Monteiro to the next stage of the event. Felipe Meligeni Alves managed to qualify and can be a deadly player when he fires up with a very aggressive playstyle. But Monteiro has the experience and maybe it can carry him through to another big win in Rio (the most famous one was beating Tsonga in 2016).
Prediction: Monteiro in 3
Joao Fonseca vs Cristian Garin
Head-to-head: First meeting
Joao Fonseca played an unbelievable match to defeat Arthur Fils 6-0 6-4 on Wednesday. The 17-year-old was the best junior in the world last year, finishing year-end No .1 and winning the US Open. But that wasn’t all he did as in the meantime he was also scoring phenomenal wins at the Challenger level, including over Aleksandar Kovacevic or Thiago Seyboth Wild. He’s the real deal, but also struggles against players who can set up a wall behind the baseline for now. Cristian Garin could outgrind him here, but it won’t change this week being a major success for the Brazilian.
Prediction: Garin in 2
Mariano Navone vs Yannick Hanfmann
Head-to-head: First meeting
Mariano Navone had done enough to break the top 100 by qualifying and defeating Federico Coria (for the 4th time since June). A winner of five Challenger titles in the second half of 2023, the 22-year-old was getting a little exposed in the first few Golden Swing events here. Now he should be hitting a lot more freely with the pressure off though and his game has both the grinding prowess and excellent ball-striking ability. Yannick Hanfmann likes this part of the season, but Navone has the talent to keep this run going.
Prediction: Navone in 3
Facundo Diaz Acosta vs Sebastian Baez
Head-to-head: Baez 3-1
Sebastian Baez snapped Luciano Darderi’s win streak in Buenos Aires, now he might do the same to Facundo Diaz Acosta who won the aforementioned event. Beating him 6-3 6-1 in Cordoba recently is bound to fill him up with confidence, but his opponent was unbelievable last week and kept that up by taking out Stan Wawrinka here. Baez is so reliant on having a good forehand day and sometimes throws in a stinker. Seems like he generally might have the controlled aggression to take Diaz Acosta down though (on most days).
Prediction: Baez in 3
Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
