Because of rain in Paris, the new schedule at the Olympics will finish the men’s singles second round on Day 4 of the event. Most of the biggest stars played on Day 3, but there’s still plenty of action coming on Tuesday. As always, we here at LastWordOnTennis will predict all of them for you. Who will advance to the third round and keep their medal dreams alive? We split the day’s eight matches between this and a separate article–featuring Daniil Medvedev vs Sebastian Ofner. Predicting these matches are Damian Kust, Ateet Shrivastava, and Andreas Pelekis. Who do you think will win?
Paris Olympics Day 4 Men’s Predictions
Jan-Lennard Struff (Germany) vs Corentin Moutet (France)
Damian:
It can be very tough to defeat Moutet in front of the home crowd, especially as loud as the one in Paris. It’s a fascinating clash of styles as well and the last time they played on clay, Struff ended up defeating him somewhat easily. I’ll grant Moutet a set with all the trickery he can produce, but I can’t quite give him the “favorite” tag.
Prediction: Struff in 3
Ateet:
Struff had a much easier first-round match after the withdrawal of Alex de Minaur. He will be happy with his start and will fancy his chances against Corentin Moutet. The Frenchman had a tough match against Sumit Nagal but managed to raise his level at the end to win. Moutet has the support of the home fans but I don’t think he is playing at his best right now.
Prediction: Struff in 3
Andreas:
This should be a fantastic match, with a great clash of styles on the court. Moutet will surely take advantage of the partisan crowd, and his awkward shotmaking will look to throw Struff off guard. The German will have to serve big and force Moutet to hit from deep in the court. In the end, expecting Moutet to win this, taking advantage of the Olympic atmosphere and clinching the big points late in sets.
Prediction: Moutet in 3
Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) vs Maximilian Marterer (Germany)
Damian:
Auger-Aliassime is not doing anything spectacular at the moment, but this is somewhat similar to the run he had at the French Open. He had a good draw and took full advantage to make the fourth round, then lost to one of the favorites. It will probably be a similar story here with Marterer being in that part of the event he can handle.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 2
Ateet:
The Canadian won comfortably against the in-form Marcos Giron in the first round. His serve was devastatingly good and did not face a break point the whole match. Marterer was the underdog against Dusan Lajovic but played one of his best matches of the year to upset the Serb. However, expecting another upset from Marterer might be too much to ask.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 2
Andreas:
Marterer did well to take out Dusan Lajovic 6-3 6-7 (6) 6-3 in the first round, but he hasn’t beaten a Top 20 player since 2018. Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime quickly won his opening match 6-1 6-4. Look for the Canadian to win this with his big serve and heavy topspin.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 2
Alexander Zverev (Germany) vs Tomas Machac (Czech Republic)
Damian:
Zverev didn’t waste much time on the court while defeating Munar and while Machac is much more dangerous, can he actually upset the German? It feels like he should be able to provide some nice streaks of games with overwhelming early timing, but doing this consistently over two sets against someone this solid could be too tricky.
Prediction: Zverev in 2
Ateet:
The reigning Olympic champion, Alexander Zverev, got off to a great start as he beat Jaume Munar comfortably. He looked extremely good and played aggressive tennis throughout the match. Tomas Machac will be a sterner test and won’t go away easily. Machac is very aggressive behind both wings but Zverev’s serve and experience of playing on these occasions will give him the edge.
Prediction: Zverev in 2
Andreas:
The defending Olympic champion played well to take out Jaume Munar 6-2 6-2, but this may be a bigger task for the German. Machac is playing some of the best tennis of his career this season, and look for him to take a set in this match before Zverev’s experience proves to be the difference.
Prediction: Zverev in 3
Taylor Fritz vs Jack Draper
Damian:
Fritz defeated Draper in Munich in a very tight match, now they’ll have to play each other again on clay. It’s not the favorite surface for either player, but it’s not like they’re unable to succeed on it either. The American should probably be a slight favorite given the winners galore he produced against Bublik. This opponent is a much better defender though.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Ateet:
Fritz has made a great start to his Olympic campaign. He was solid against Alexander Bublik with some great serving and nice drop shots. His improvement on clay has been significant this year. Jack Draper was also solid in his first-round match and dominated behind his first serve, winning 83% of the points. It was a close match when they met in Munich but the conditions are slower here and might help Draper more.
Prediction: Draper in 3
Andreas:
Draper took out Kei Nishikori 6-1 6-4 in the first round, and seems to be improving on the clay courts this season. Meanwhile, Fritz took out the dangerous Alexander Bublik in the first round, and his serve looked sharp in big points. The pair recently battled in a clay-court thriller, in Munich a three months ago. Expect the American to win another close one here.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
