As the Rio Open 2024 advances to the next round, the tournament has certainly opened up big time after early exits of the likes of Stan Wawrinka and Carlos Alcaraz. After Carlos Alcaraz got injured in his first-round match, Thiago Monteiro got a walkover into the next round. On the other hand, qualified candidate Felipe Alves beat Pedro Cachin of Argentina by 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the second round. It’s Thiago Monteiro vs Felipe Alves in the second round now, a clash between the two Brazilians, so both can expect passionate crowd support.
The Thiago Monteiro vs Felipe Alves match will take place on the outdoor clay courts of the Quadra Guga Kuerten Tennis Court in Rio. The match will start at around 7:00 pm local time (5 PM ET) on Thursday i.e. 22nd February.
After getting a walkover against Carlos Alcaraz, Thiago Monteiro has a lead over the Spaniard 2-0, a rare feat in tennis. He beats Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Jannik Sinner in that regard. However, his fine form started sometime earlier, when he won his first Masters match win at the 2023 Miami Open. He beat Jason Kubler 6-4, 7-6 (8-6).
A few months later, Monteiro had his second Masters match win at the Mutua Madrid Open. On that instance, he beat Borna Gojo 7-6 (11-9), 4-6, 6-3. Monteiro has never crossed the third round of a Grand Slam and never won any ATP titles in his career so far. This time it seems like an opportune season for him.
Felipe Alves, on the other hand, has never crossed the second round of a Grand Slam. He qualified for his first Masters, the Miami Open last year, but lost in the first round to Facundo Bagnis by 6-3, 1-6, 6-4. Last year, Alves qualified for his first-ever Grand Slam, the US Open 2023. He also, incidentally, registered his first Grand Slam win against Lucky Loser James Duckworth. After beating Cachin this time, he will gunning for his first ATP win.
Felipe Alves ranks 153, whereas Thiago Monteiro ranks 119. With a slightly better rank, a psychological advantage over beating Carlos Alcaraz, although due to walkover, and a slightly better ATP record, Thiago Monteiro trumps Felipe Alves. Therefore, The SportsRush predicts Thiago Monteiro to win the Thiago Monteiro vs Felipe Alves clash in the Rio Open 2024.
Past records of Thiago Monteiro vs Felipe Alves
The Thiago Monteres vs Felipe Alves match has happened only once before in their careers. That was at the 2020 Punta Del Este Challenger in Uruguay. Monteiro won that match in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. This could indicate too that Monteiro will go into their upcoming match as a stronger opponent. As per BetMGM, the odds of Thiago Monteiro winning is greater at -145, and of Felipe Alves is +110.
The match will stream live on Tennis Channel, where all American viewers can catch this match. The weather in Rio at around 7 pm is slightly on the higher side, with 31 degrees Celsius. The wind speed is barely there at 5 km/h and humidity is 84%. It should be a good match.
