9th seed Alex Molcan locks horns with Bolivian No. 1 Hugo Dellien in the round of 16 of the 2023 Rio Open on Wednesday.
The Slovak No. 1 came into the tournament on the back of a disappointing campaign in the Argentina Open where he lost to 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the first round.
Molcan started his journey in the Rio Open by facing the 16-year-old Joao Fonseca. The experienced Molcan made light work of the youngster who made his ATP debut, going on to win the match 6-0, 6-3. With this win, Molcan ended his three-match losing streak.
The 29-year-old produced the best result of his career in the Cordoba Open, earlier this month. He progressed to the semifinals where he lost to 4th seed Sebastian Baez in straight sets.
Prior to the Rio Open, Dellien competed in the Argentina Open where he lost to Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round. In the round of 32 of the Rio Open, Dellien eased past Joao Sousa in a lopsided affair. The match ended 6-0, 6-2. Dellien was exceptional with his first serves and had a win percentage of 90 with them. He also converted 5 out of 7 break points. Dellien will hope to play the same level of tennis or even better against an opponent who has beaten him in the past.
Alex Molcan has a slender 1-0 lead against Hugo Dellien in the head-to-head scoreline.
Prediction: Alex Molcan to win in three sets.
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