Tennis at Paris Olympics Day 2: Men's singles predictions ft. Cameron Norrie vs Tallon Griekspoor, Arthur Fils vs Matteo Arnaldi
Day 2 of the Paris Olympics will feature past Roland Garros champions and former finalists. The day's marquee match will be when 14-time champion Rafael Nadal takes on Hunagry's Marton Fucsovics.
The matches on the day will also feature past Roland Garros finalists. Two-time French Open runner-up Casper Ruud will begin his Olympics campaign against Taro Daniel of Japan. Home favorite Gael Monfils will lock horns against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti.
Other prominent matches will include 2015 French Open champion Stan Wawrinka beginning his campaign for Olympic Gold against Pavel Kotov.
Let's look at some men's singles matches slated to occur on Day 2 of the Paris Olympics.
# 5. Alejandro Tabilo vs Roman Safiullin
The day will feature the 15th-seeded Chilean Alejandro Tabilo take on Roman Saifullin in the opening round of the Paris Olympics. Tabilo is coming on the back of a second-round loss against eventual champion Matteo Berrettini at the Austrian Open. On the other hand, Roman Safiullin has come from a first-round loss against Roberto Carballes Baena at the Swedish Open.
Tabilo is having a pretty decent 2024 so far, with 26 wins out of 40 matches. The Chilean won two titles at the Mallorca Championships, and the ASB Classic. He also reached the semifinals of the Italian Open/
Safiullin, on the other hand, has had a poor season so far, with a meager win-loss record of 8-16 and no titles.
This is the first time the two players will go up against each other on the Tour. Given the current form, Tabilo should be able to win the match and enter the second round at the Paris Olympics.
Predicted Winner- Alejandro Tabilo
# 4. Sebastian Baez vs Thiago Monteiro
12th-seeded Argentine Sebastian Baez will take on Brazil's Thiago Monteiro on day 2 of the Paris Olympics. Baez played at the top seed at the Austrian Open, losing to Hugo Gaston in the quarter-final. Thiago Monteiro lost in the second round of the Croatia Open against Fabian Marozsan of Hungary.
Baez has a 27-18 record for the 2024 season so far, winning the Chile Open and the Rio Open. Monteiro has a 12-7 record in the season, with no titles. The Brazilian's best result came at the Swedish Open, where he reached the quarter-finals, losing against Duje Ajdukovic.
Baez has won all three matches against Monteiro, the last of which was in the quarter-finals at this year's Rio Open. Given the head-to-head record and current form, the Argentine should be able to win the match and reach the second round at the Paris Olympics.
Predicted Winner- Sebastian Baez
# 3. Nicolas Jarry vs Alexei Popyrin
16th-seeded Chilean Nicolas Jarry will take on Alexei Popyrin of Australia in the opening round at the Paris Olympics. Jarry last played at the Wimbledon Championship, where he lost against Dennis Shapovalov in the first round. Popyrin is coming on the heels of a first-round loss against Jakub Mensik at the Croatia Open.
Jarry has a 16-14 record for the 2024 season. Although the Chilean does not have a title this year, he reached the final of the Italian Open on the clay, losing to Alexander Zverev. On the other Popyrin has no titles in 2024 as well, but the Australian has a woeful 2-7 record on the clay this season.
Jarry has won both matches against Popyrin, the last of which was at the Paris Masters last year. Given the current form, the Chilean should prevail in the upcoming encounter.
Predicted Winner- Nicolas Jarry
# 2. Cameron Norrie vs Tallon Griekspoor
Day 2 at the Paris Olympics will feature an interesting match-up when UK's Cameron Norrie goes toe-to-toe with Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands. Norrie is coming on the back of a loss against Rafael Nadal at the Swedish Open, whereas Griekspoor lost against Timofey Skatov in the same event.
Norrie has a 17-15 record in the 2024 season. The Brit reached the semi-final of the Rio Open, which is his season-best performance so far. Griekspoor has a 21-17 record in the season, with semi-final appearances at the Rotterdam Open and the Libema Open as his best results so far.
These two players have yet to play against each other on the ATP Tour. However, the fact that Norrie has two court titles in his career, gives the Brit an advantage in this match.
Pick- Cameron Norrie
# 1. Arthur Fils vs Matteo Arnaldi
14th-seeded Frenchman and home favorite Arthur Fils will take on Matteo Arnaldi of Italy in the opening round of the Paris Olympics. Fils is coming on the back of his second title win, at the Hamburg Open where he defeated Alexander Zverev in a thrilling three-set final. Arnaldi lost against Alxandre Muller in the opening round at the Croatia Open.
Apart from the win in Hamburg, Fils also made the semi-final of the ASB Classic and quarter-finals of the Chile Open and the Barcelona Open. On the other hand, Arnaldi reached the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International and the Barcelona Open this season.
Arnaldi has won all three matches against Arthur Fils including the first-round win the Italian secured at the French Open this year. However, given Fil's current form and the crowd support being with him, the Frenchman should win the match.
Pick- Arthur Fils