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The 2024 Rio Open is the biggest tournament of the South American Golden Swing. It will begin from February 19 and will conclude with the final on February 25.
World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz was stunned by Nicolas Jarry at last week's Argentina Open, where he was the defending champion. The young Spaniard is still on the hunt for his first title since his triumph at last year's Wimbledon.
Alcaraz is the top seed at the Rio Open and will take to the court on Tuesday. Meahwhile, four other seeded players will be in action on the very first day of the tournament, including defending champion Cameron Norrie.
Here's a look at the predictions for some of the key matches lined up for Day 1 of the Rio Open:
#1 - Cameron Norrie vs Hugo Dellien
Norrie started his clay swing at last week's Argentina Open. He was the runner-up there in 2023, but left without winning a match this time. After a first-round bye, he was stunned by Federico Coria in the second round as was defeated 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Dellien snapped his nine-match losing streak at the ATP level with a win over Thiago Seyboth Wild at the Cordoba Open. He then lost to Sebastian Baez in the second round.
Dellien was supposed to go through the qualifying rounds of the Rio Open, but was moved to the main draw after Tomas Martin Etcheverry's withdrawal. Currently ranked 135th in the world, he was notched up just a handful of wins at the ATP level over the last few years.
Norrie's Golden Swing commenced on a disappointing note with his early exit from the Argentina Open. But the Brit has been handed a relatively easy opener here and should kick off his title defence at the Rio Open with a win.
Predicted winner: Cameron Norrie
#2 - Francisco Cerundolo vs Francisco Comesana
With a dismal 2-6 win-loss record so far, it's safe to say Cerundolo is having a rough time this season. He's yet to win a match during this South American swing, with his both of victories coming prior to that.
As the top seed at the Cordoba Open, Cerundolo lost to Jaume Munar 7-5, 6-4. Seeded fourth at the Argentina Open, Facundo Diaz Acosta defeated him 7-6 (3), 6-0.
Comesana received a wildcard into the Cordoba Open and thus made his debut at the ATP level. He was bested by his countryman Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-1, 7-6 (4) in the opening round. While he fell in the qualifying rounds of the Argentina Open, he navigated successfully through them at the Rio Open.
Comesana's lack of experience on the main tour makes Cerundolo the favorite in this match-up. However, given the latter's poor form this season, it's not an assured win for him either. If the World No. 22 gets his act together then he can scrape together a much-needed win, or else his losing streak is likely to continue.
Predicted winner: Francisco Cerndolo
#3 - Sebastian Ofner vs Jaume Munar
Ofner started the season with a semifinal finish at the Hong Kong Open, but his results went downhill after that with every subsequent tournament. He lost in the second round of the ASB Classic and crashed out in the first round of the Australian Open.
A change of surface didn't improve Ofner's results either as he's yet to score a win during the clay swing. He lost 6-0, 6-3 to Luciano Darderi at the Cordoba Open and suffered a 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 defeat at the hands of Federico Coria at the Argentina Open.
Munar knocked out Daniel Elahi Galan and Cerundolo in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals of the Cordoba Open. He was then ousted by Facundo Bagnis and failed to make it past the qualifiers of the Argentina Open.
Munar is a better player on clay compared to Ofner and has almost five times as many wins as him on the surface. Given their form and results on the red dirt, the Spaniard will be expected to make it through this round.
Predicted winner: Jaume Munar
#4 - Laslo Djere vs Bernabe Zapata Miralles
Djere defeated 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the opening round of the Argentina Open. It was also his very first win of the season and snapped his four-match losing streak. He then lost to qualifier Andrea Vavassori 6-4, 7-5 in the next round.
Zapata Miralles's only win of the season came at the Cordoba Open, which was also courtesy of a mid-match retirement from his opponent. He faced Cristian Garin in the first round there and the latter was forced to retire due to an injury in the third set.
Zapata Miralles then lost to Etcheverry in the next round and fell at the very first hurdle at the Argentina Open. The Spaniard is in even worse form than Djere as he has lost eight of his last nine matches, including a few from the last season.
Djere is also a former Rio Open champion and defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime to win the title back in 2019. With both players in a slump, this match could swing either way, though the Serb has a better shot at coming out on top.
Predicted winner: Laslo Djere
