Carlos Alcaraz Garfia will face Fabio Fognini in the first round of the Rio Open. The match will start on February 22 at 22:00 UK time.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #1 – Handicap (+7) for Fognini – 1.60.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #2 – Total Games Over 18 – 1.82.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #3 – 1st Set Games Under 9.5 – 1.35.
Alcaraz Garfia is playing for the second week in a row without a break. Of course, such a busy schedule affects the physical condition of the tennis players and therefore it is unlikely to count on a landslide victory in every match. We believe that Fognini will be able to claw his way to a plus handicap in the upcoming match.
Fognini is 35 years old, but on the clay, the Italian tennis player can fight for victory in any match. We expect that he will be able to fight Alcaraz Garfia as well.
Carlos’ first match stretched over two days due to difficult weather conditions.
That was probably the reason why Alcaraz was unable to crush Mateus Alves (6-4, 6-4).
The Spaniard made no secret of the fact that he was expecting a less difficult match against the world #556. However, then again, the 19-year-old tennis player also stressed the conditions.
Alcaraz lost his serve twice but still managed to take four games on the receiving end.
All in all, Alcaraz is sure to be extremely focused after a game like this. On the clay, you can’t relax, even against an opponent from the sixth hundred of the rankings.
This was the fifth victory in a row for the Spaniard. Alcaraz Garfia won the Argentina Open last week.
Alcaraz defends last year’s Rio Open title.
Fabio, meanwhile, finally won his first match of the year.
The Italian began his tournament in Rio de Janeiro with a win over Chilean Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera (6-4, 6-4).
Fognini played with confidence against the world #196 and managed to break three times. The only slight nervousness was in the second set.
Fognini was winless in Buenos Aires last week and before that failed to reach the second round in Auckland, New Zealand and at the Australian Open.
Fognini reached the semi-finals in Rio de Janeiro last year.
Type of Court – Indoor Hard
Speed of Court – 7/10
Carlos Alcaraz Garfia’s Rating – 2
Carlos Alcaraz Garfia Wins/Losses in 2023 – 5/0
Fabio Fognini’s Rating – 86
Fabio Fognini Wins/Losses in 2023 – 1/3
In 3 of Fognini’s last 5 matches, less than 9.5 games have been played in the first set. We offer to bet on “1st Set Games Under 9.5” with odds of 1.35.
Alcaraz leads with a score of 1-0 in the head-to-head encounters. The only time they met was at the Rio Open in 2022. In that match, Alcaraz defeated Fognini (6-2, 7-5) in two sets.
The match will be played in Center Court, Jockey Club Brasileiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
We recommend checking out the odds for the Rio Open: Carlos Alcaraz Garfia vs Fabio Fognini at 1xBet and VBET.