The 2024 Rio Open has commenced and will continue the 2024 ATP 500 season. The tournament has shown us great match-ups and will now show the current Wimbledon champion. Carlos Alcaraz will play his first match in Rio De Janeiro against Thiago Monteiro. Both players need a win here, as they have been struggling with momentum. 

The 500 points in the Rio Open will help Alcaraz get a grip on his game for the rest of the season. For Monteiro, the 500 points will help him move up the table. While both need to win, there can only be one winner.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Thiago Monteiro: Preview

Alcaraz would have a great 2023 season. While he started the year with an early exit in the Australian Open, he managed to win the Indian Wells Masters and defended his Madrid Open title. After a semifinal in the French Open, he managed the humungous task of beating Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon. He would stumble after the tournament as his exits came earlier and earlier.

In 2024, Alcaraz lost in the quarterfinal of the Australian Open and the semifinal of the Argentina Open, failing to provide an impressive result. Now, he will play in the Rio Open, hoping to gain a better grip on his season.

Monteiro entered the top 65 for the first time in 2022, but he unfortunately ended it at rank 73. 2023 would get even worse for him. While he managed to attain his first victory in a Masters tournament, he left all grand slams in round 1. He also defeated Holger Rune in the Davis Cup, making it the biggest win of his career. However, Monteiro would end 2023 ranked 122

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Coming into 2024, he started the year by playing till the quarterfinal of a Challenger event in Uruguay. He could not manage to qualify for any 250 event at the start of the year and the first slam. He then failed to qualify for the main draw of the Argentina Open and will now face a gigantic challenge in Rio.

Alcaraz vs Monteiro: Head-to-Head

Alcaraz and Monteiro have played against each other once in the main draw of the ATP Tour. They faced each other in the 2021 Adelaide International. Back then, Alcaraz had not developed his dominating but still managed to push Monteiro to a tie-breaker in the first set. The Brazilian player would go on to defeat the Spaniard in straight sets.

They would play in the qualifying round of the Cincinnati Masters later in August, where Alcaraz had his revenge. He had developed great form by then and ended their match quickly. The final score read 6-2, 6-3 as the Spanish youngster moved ahead.

Prediction: Alcaraz to be the dominating victor

While both players have not found great form this year, Alcaraz has been on a much better streak than Monteiro. He has a much better chance of winning their clash because of his momentum and general skills. Additionally, the clay court is also much better suited for the young Spaniard. Not only that, he is also set for a dominating victory and moving on to the next round.  

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