The ATP Tour stops in Brazil’s second-largest city as Rio de Janeiro hosts the 500-level Rio Open for the ninth time. Day 2 in Rio features a lot of high-level round-one action, including a battle between clay-court specialists Francisco Cerundolo and Roberto Carballes Baena. We at LWOT have the preview and prediction for that match and all other happenings around the grounds of the Rio Open. But who will advance?
ATP Rio de Janeiro Day 2 Predictions
Hugo Gaston vs Juan Pablo Varillas
Head-to-Head: Gaston 1-0 Varillas
22-year-old Hugo Gaston worked his way through qualifying without dropping a set. The Frenchman is looking for his first ATP main draw win since last July. He faces a tough round-one challenge against the in-form Juan Pablo Varillas. The 27-year-old Peruvian is coming off a run to the Buenos Aires semifinals, defeating Dominic Thiem and Lorenzo Musetti along the way. Varillas plays his best tennis on the clay and is hard to break through when he is playing well. Gaston has a large bag of tricks to throw at the Peruvian, but I do not think it will be enough.
Prediction: Varillas in 3
Albert Ramos-Vinolas vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Head-to-Head: Ramos-Vinolas 2-0 Etcheverry
Albert Ramos-Vinolas squares off against young Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry in round one of the Rio Open. Ramos-Vinolas has had a clay court win over Etcheverry in each of the past two seasons. The veteran Spaniard reached the semifinals in Cordoba two weeks ago and still is ranked inside the top 50. He has the power and consistency to compete into the weekend on the clay. Etcheverry is coming off a run to the Buenos Aires quarterfinals and plays his best tennis on the clay. I expect a long three-setter between the two, but give the slight edge to the Spaniard and his consistency.
Prediction: Ramos-Vinolas in 3
Sebastian Baez vs Thomaz Bellucci
Head-to-Head: first meeting
No. 8 seed Sebastian Baez squares off against Brazilian wild card Thomaz Bellucci at the Rio Open. After a rough six-month stretch of tennis, Baez raised the title in Cordoba two weeks ago. The 22-year-old Argentine is an entirely different player on the clay and can seemingly beat anyone on tour on the surface. Bellucci is a 35-year-old Brazilian and former top 20 player who has won four Tour titles. He has played just eight matches over the past two seasons and has just one tour-level win since 2018. The crowd will certainly get behind one of the best Brazilian ATP players of the 21st century, but I do not believe he has the form to hang with Baez.
Prediction: Baez in 2
Francisco Cerundolo vs Roberto Carballes Baena
Head-to-Head: Cerundolo 4-0 Carballes Baena
No. 4 seed Francisco Cerundolo faces a familiar foe in Roberto Carballes Baena in round one of the Rio Open. The two have squared off four times in the past three years, with every match going the Argentine’s way. Cerundolo has lost just one set to Carballes Baena in those four matches. Cerundolo is coming off back-to-back quarterfinal runs during the first two legs of the Golden Triangle. This is the tournament where I believe he breaks through to a final. He should have no trouble handling a player he has a strong history against.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 2
Main Photo Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
