Eight fantastic third-round matches will be played on Day 5 of the ATP Monte Carlo Rolex Masters. Two of the top three seeds have already been eliminated in the second round, and #2 seed Carlos Alcaraz is now the heavy favorite to win the title. As always, we at LWOT will offer predictions for every match on the slate. But which players will advance to the quarterfinals?
ATP Monte Carlo Day 5 Predictions
Matteo Berrettini vs Lorenzo Musetti
Head-to-Head: Berrettini 1-1 Musetti
Matteo Berrettini got the biggest win of his career in terms of rankings, as he defeated the top seed, Alexander Zverev, in a three-set thriller. Berrettini was not finding his range for a set and a half, but his game became much more potent once he started getting more on his forehand. Lorenzo Musetti fought back from a set down to defeat the dangerous Jiri Lehecka. This will be an emotional match for both these players, and neither of them can afford to make a slow start. Berrettini has the better serve, but Musetti plays with a lot of variety, which helps him on clay. Berrettini will struggle to break through Musetti’s defense, so I’m going with the younger Italian.
Prediction: Musetti in 3
Grigor Dimitrov vs Alejandro Tabilo
Head-to-Head: Dimitrov 2-0 Tabilo
Grigor Dimitrov has started to turn around his season and is looking in good touch. He came back from a set down to defeat the local wild card, Valentin Vacherot, in the second round. The Bulgarian player will be looking to make his fifth quarterfinal appearance at the Monte Carlo Masters, but he has to go through an inspired Alejandro Tabilo first. Tabilo played the best match of his season to upset Novak Djokovic in two sets. Tabilo was in horrible form before this week, but two quality wins so far might have put his season back on track. I expect a competitive match between these two, but I believe Dimitrov will prevail.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 3
Casper Ruud vs Alexei Popyrin
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Alexei Popyrin had to dig incredibly deep to get another top-quality win against an in-form player. However, the draw only gets tougher for the Australian as he faces Casper Ruud in the third round. Ugo Humbert and Frances Tiafoe are brilliant players, but they can’t match up to the pedigree of Ruud on clay. The Norwegian dismissed Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets and looked at his absolute best. Popyrin has made a valiant effort to reach this far, but Ruud should stop his run and reach the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Ruud in 2
Carlos Alcaraz vs Daniel Altmaier
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Carlos Alcaraz had to bring his best level to put away Francisco Cerundolo in the second round. Alcaraz made a lot of errors in the first set, and Cerundolo played at a very high level. The tables started to turn when the Spaniard saved a crucial break point at the beginning of the second set, and since then, he never looked back and lost just one game. Daniel Altmaier is a solid clay player and is having a decent season so far, but Alcaraz should handle him if he plays close to his best.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
