Top seed Carlos Alcaraz squares off against Dusan Lajovic in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Rio Open on Friday.
Carlos Alcaraz
The 19-year-old has reached his second consecutive quarterfinal. After winning the Argentina Open, Alcaraz managed to defeat home favorite Mateus Alves in the first round in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
The world No. 2 followed it up with a sensational come-from-behind win against Italian veteran, Fabio Fognini. The defending champion lost a closely-contested first set before making a memorable comeback to win the match 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4.
Dusan Lajovic
The Serbian star has also made it to the quarterfinals in back-to-back tournaments. At the Argentina Open, he lost to Alcaraz in the quarterfinals and would be looking to avenge that defeat. In the first round, Lajovic produced a stunning upset as he ousted 5th seed Diego Schwartzman in a one-sided contest that ended 6-1, 6-4.
Lajovic got the better of fellow Serbian Laslo Djere in the second round. The match ended in straight sets 6-2, 6-4. Lajovic converted 4 out of 6 break points in the encounter and entered his first-ever Rio Open quarterfinal. Lajovic will have his task cut out against an in-form Alcaraz. He will have to play his A-game to be in with a shout.
Head-to-Head and Prediction
Carlos Alcaraz has an unblemished head-to-head record of 2-0 against Dusan Lajovic. The Spaniard met Lajovic last week in the Argentina Open quarterfinals. Alcaraz won the match 6-4, 6-2.
Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in straight sets.
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