Day 3 at ATP Rio de Janeiro promises to bring a lot of excitement, especially with Carlos Alcaraz’s elimination having thrown the tournament wide open. World No. 23 and defending champion Cameron Norrie will be in action on this third day of the tournament, now the highest-ranked player left in the draw. As always, we at LWOT have the preview and prediction for all matches in Rio. But who will advance?
ATP Rio de Janeiro Day 3 Predictions
Francisco Cerundolo vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Head-to-head: Cerundolo 1-0 Ramos-Vinolas
At his peak, Ramos was a force to be reckoned with at these clay events, but those times are long gone, with the 36-year-old currently ranked No. 96 and struggling to win matches at ATP level. On the other hand, Cerundolo has firmly entrenched himself in Grand Slam seeding range in the rankings and is always a threat to go far in these kind of events. At this point in their respective careers, the Argentine should have a clear edge.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 2
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Jaume Munar vs Thiago Seyboth Wild
Head-to-head: Munar 3-0 Seyboth Wild
Wild pulled off a stunning win over Daniil Medvedev last year at Roland Garros, but he never really kicked on after that. In fact, he came to ATP Rio on a big losing streak, which he broke by beating Tabilo in the first round at his home tournament. Munar has never really lived up to his initial promise, but he’s a consistent feature in Golden Swing events and has a great record against Wild. Playing at home and motivated by his first win in a long time, though, Wild might just pull through here.
Prediction: Seyboth Wild in 3
Dusan Lajovic vs Laslo Djere
Head-to-head: Djere 3-2 Lajovic
This all-Serbian matchup should be very even; the two players know each other very well, and both are very comfortable playing on clay. Lajovic is a veteran of the circuit, but he’s still playing at a very good level; Djere has been around the top 30/35 for a while, but he’s repeatedly failed to make a big breakthrough. He should still perhaps have a slight edge at ATP Rio, though.
Prediction: Djere in 3
Tomas Barrios Vera vs Cameron Norrie
Head-to-head: first meeting
Norrie is the defending champion at ATP Rio and is facing a big fall in the rankings if he can’t make a deep run again. With Carlos Alcaraz out, though, he is perhaps now the favorite to win the title and will have extra motivation for this match, in which he is the clear favorite against his No. 120 ranked opponent.
Prediction: Norrie in 2
Arthur Fils vs João Fonseca
Head-to-head: first meeting
Despite a disappointing performance last week in Buenos Aires, a lot is expected from Fils this season. He’s one of the most promising young players on tour and he has shown that he’s comfortable playing on clay. Fonseca is the world No. 605 and should be very motivated to play on such a big stage at home, but he should ultimately be overmatched.
Predictions: Fils in 2
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Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai – USA TODAY Sports
