Italian Open 2024 Day 2: Men's singles predictions ft. Gael Monfils vs Thiago Monteiro
The men's singles event will begin on Day 2 of the 2024 Italian Open. The qualifying rounds came to an end on Tuesday. Some notable names failed to make it through them, such as Cristian Garin, Richard Gasquet, and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Most top players have received a first-round bye, except for one big name. Rafael Nadal is scheduled to play in the first round, though he's set to contest his match on Thursday.
Nadal and his arch-rival Novak Djokovic are in the same tournament after a long time. Naturally, the excitement levels are through the roof. They're on the opposite sides of the draw, so the only chance of their clash is if they make it to the final.
With the main draw action set to begin on Wednesday, here are the predictions for some of the matches lined up on Day 2 of the Italian Open:
#1 - Gael Monfils vs Thiago Monteiro
Monfils began his clay season on a victorious note as he defeated Henrique Rocha 7-5, 7-5 in the first round of the Estoril Open. He led Marton Fucsovics by a set in the second round but ultimately lost the match in three sets.
Monfils reached the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters as well, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev. He made a quick exit from the Madrid Open as he was shown the door in the first round by Luciano Darderi.
Monteiro came through the qualifying rounds of the Italian Open to book his spot in the main draw. He reached the third round of the Madrid Open before this and even ousted Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round.
While Monfils is the favorite on paper, he could find it tough to deal with Monteiro. The latter will be full of confidence after his run in Madrid. The Brazilian is also a strong player on clay, so he's got a great shot at securing another win over a top player.
Predicted winner: Thiago Monteiro
#2 - Diego Schwartzman vs Aleksandar Vukic
Schwartzman defeated Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Mikhail Kukushkin in three sets to qualify for the Italian Open. A former top-10 player, he recently announced his decision to retire in front of his home crowd at the 2025 Argentina Open.
While Schwartzman won a couple of matches to make the main draw here, he hasn't won a main draw match this year. Luckily for him, his opponent, Vukic, is in the midst of a rough patch as well.
Vukic has a 4-11 record for the year, though two of those wins have come on clay. He reached the quarterfinals in Marrakech but has lost in the first round of his next three tournaments since then.
This is a great opportunity for both to score a much-needed win. Schwartzman was the runner-up at the Italian Open back in 2020 and has better results on clay compared to Vukic. As such, the Argentine will be favored to finally end his losing skid with a win that has been long due.
Predicted winner: Diego Schwartzman
#3 - Fabio Fognini vs Dan Evans
Fognini hasn't competed much this year and this will be his third tournament of the season. He previously reached the second round of the Indian Wells Masters and the quarterfinals in Marrakech. He received a wildcard to participate in the Italian Open.
Evans, meanwhile, has been down on his luck this year and has a 3-10 record thus far. He's also on a four-match losing streak at the moment. While he hasn't won a match on clay this year, his poor run of form started last year itself.
Evans lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal of last year's Barcelona Open and hasn't won a match on clay since then. He was never a strong player on the red dirt and his 19 wins on the surface are dwarfed by Fognini's 235 victories. The Italian will be backed to make a winning start at his home tournament.
Predicted winner: Fabio Fognini
#4 - Brandon Nakashima vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Nakashima defeated Nerman Fatic and Jesper de Jong to successfully qualify for the Italian Open. He previously made it to the last eight in Houston and the third round in Barcelona but failed to make it past the first round in Madrid.
Kecmanovic's inconsistency has seen him hit a few highs and plenty of lows this year. The clay swing has been a mixed bag for him as hasn't made it past the second round of the four tournaments he participated in before the Italian Open.
Neither player has crossed the first hurdle at the Italian Open in their careers. Kecmanovic has bowed out in the first round four times so far, while Nakashima has faltered at this stage twice.
The streak is about to end for one player. Kecmanovic has a 36-35 record on clay and has even won a title on it. Nakashima, on the other hand, has a 10-10 record on the surface. The Serb's better results on clay could give him an edge to make a winning start to his campaign in Rome.
Predicted winner: Miomir Kecmanovic