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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Carlos Alcaraz vs Fabio Fognini.
Date: 23 February, 2023.
Tournament: Rio Open 2023.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Jockey Club Brasileiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Outdoor clay court.
Prize money: $2,013,940.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Fabio Fognini preview
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz will face Fabio Fognini in the second round of the Rio Open on Thursday.
Alcaraz missed the Australian Open due to injury and played his first tournament of the 2023 season at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires. The Spaniard started the tournament with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win over Laslo Djere before defeating Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 6-2.
He then beat compatriot Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-2, 6-2 to set up a title clash against Cameron Norrie. The 19-year-old defeated the Brit 6-3, 7-5 to win his seventh ATP singles title.
Alcaraz then entered the Rio Open as the defending champion and booked his place in the second round with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Mateus Alves.
Meanwhile, Fabio Fognini has had a poor start to the 2023 season, winning just one out of his four matches so far.
The Italian started the season at the ASB Classic and suffered an opening-round defeat to Jenson Brooksby. He followed this up with another first-round exit at the Australian Open, losing 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 against Thanasi Kokkinakis.
The 35-year-old then suffered a third opening-round exit in succession, this time losing 6-4, 6-4 to Laslo Djere at the Argentina Open. He then competed at the Rio Open and registered his first win of the 2023 season by beating Tomas Barrios Vera 6-2, 6-3 in the opening round.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Fabio Fognini head-to-head
Alcaraz leads 1-0 in the head-to-head against Fognini, having beaten him 6-2, 7-5 in the semifinals of last year's Rio Open.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Fabio Fognini odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Fabio Fognini prediction
Alcaraz will enter the match as the heavy favorite to win given his quality and form over the past 10-12 months.
The Spaniard has produced some of his best tennis on clay-courts, winning 32 out of 36 matches on the surface since the start of the 2022 season. His topspin-heavy forehand makes him a solid player on clay and he will look to put pressure on Fognini from the start of the match.
Alcaraz has a pretty effective serve and his well-disguised dropshots will come in very handy.
Clay has also been Fognini's best surface and he has produced some of his career-best performances on the surface. The Italian is a solid baseliner and hits his groundstrokes with a lot of power. He will have to be at his very best in order to withstand Alcaraz's intensity and stand a chance against him.
Overall, the Spaniard looks in good touch at present and should have little trouble beating Fognini and reaching the quarterfinals of the Rio Open.
Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in straight sets.
