{"id":70893,"date":"2024-07-26T13:31:49","date_gmt":"2024-07-26T17:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=70893"},"modified":"2024-07-26T13:58:08","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T17:58:08","slug":"paris-olympics-mens-day-1-predictions-medvedev-hijikata","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2024\/07\/26\/paris-olympics-mens-day-1-predictions-medvedev-hijikata\/","title":{"rendered":"Paris Olympics Men’s Day 1 Predictions Including Daniil Medvedev vs Rinky Hijikata"},"content":{"rendered":"

The tennis tournaments at the Paris Olympics start with 15 men’s singles matches on Saturday. 64 men will begin their quest for Gold, and we’ll rapidly get to the winner in a bit over a week. As always, we here at LastWordOnTennis will predict all of the matches for you. We split the 15 matches into four articles. The other articles feature Novak Djokovic vs Matthew Ebden<\/a>, Carlos Alcaraz vs Hedy Habib<\/a>, and Daniil Medvedev vs Rinky Hijikata<\/a>. Predicting these matches are Damian Kust, Shane Black, and Yesh Ginsburg. Who do you think will move on to Round 2?<\/p>\n

As a special for the Olympics, we will also be predicting all of the other Day 1 matches, including doubles. We will link to our other Olympic predictions at the bottom of the article. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

Paris Olympics Men’s Day 1 Predictions<\/h2>\n

Pavel Kotov (Neutral) vs Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland)<\/h4>\n

Damian:<\/em>
\nRoland Garros rematch where Kotov triumphed in four sets. Wawrinka\u2019s level is occasionally pretty decent this year, but if he doesn\u2019t start picking up points then it won\u2019t save him from looming retirement. He can\u2019t do that at the Olympics and on clay will likely end up losing to the Russian again anyway.
\nPrediction: Kotov in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Shane:<\/em>
\nWawrinka will be motivated to make some noise for Switzerland at the Games. The best-of-two format should help the 39-year-old. Kotov will grind this match, but give me the veteran in a decider.
\nPrediction: Wawrinka in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Yesh:<\/em>
\nWawrinka\u2019s last hurrah at the Olympics will be on the singles court. I expect him to get at least one win here, though a second may be pushing it.
\nPrediction: Wawrinka in 2<\/em><\/p>\n

[tgdcta items=”1″ id=”170460″]<\/p>\n

Tommy Paul (United States) vs Luciano Darderi (Italy)<\/h4>\n

Damian:<\/em>
\nThis seems pretty even on clay, especially with Darderi enjoying such a stellar breakout season. Paul is absolutely fine on the surface as well, but will not reach the heights his game can get to in other conditions. The Italian should be in a nice match rhythm after the last two weeks and has a good shot at the upset here.
\nPrediction: Darderi in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Shane:<\/em>
\nPaul holding a Top 10 seed at the Olympics is something no one expected a few years ago. He has proven to be incredibly consistent, and his athleticism and ball-striking allow him to thrive on all surfaces. Darderi, at 22, is playing the best tennis of his career at the moment. This should be a great match, but I\u2019ll take the American who has proven he can hold his nerve in tense moments.
\nPrediction: Paul in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Yesh:<\/em>
\nPaul is right on the cusp of breaking into the Top 10, and unlike other top Americans he doesn\u2019t hate the clay. Darderi is rising fast and loves the clay. I think Paul\u2019s powerful game could get him through, but this should be close.
\nPrediction: Paul in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>