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 Taylor Fritz vs Jack Draper. Predicting these matches are Damian Kust, Ateet Shrivastava, and Andreas Pelekis. Who do you think will win?
Paris Olympics Day 4 Men’s Predictions
Tommy Paul (United States) vs Jakub Mensik (Czech Republic)
Damian:
Mensik is back and he’s showing his potential left and right again. The Czech made the Umag semifinals and had enough left in the tank to also defeat Shevchenko in the first round of the Olympics. Paul is fine on clay and demands a high standard from his opposition if they wanna take him down. An uber-talent like Mensik might be able to deliver it.
Prediction: Paul in 3
Ateet:
Paul played a clean match against Luciano Darderi in the first round and was only broken once. He is having a great season and with his improvements on clay, he can go deep this week. Jakub Mensik is finding form at the right time as he dispatched Alexander Shevchenko in straight sets. He reached the semifinals in Umag and is healthy. This should be an exciting match but Paul’s level is higher.
Prediction: Paul in 3
Andreas:
Mensik has been playing a lot of tennis lately; he most recently made the semifinals of the ATP 250 event in Umag, following the result with a straight sets win over Alexander Shevchenko. Paul doesn’t play his best tennis on clay, but he looked solid in his 6-3 6-4 win over Luciano Darderi. The American may struggle early on, but he should get through to the third round in the end.
Prediction: Paul in 3
Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) vs Mariano Navone (Argentina)
Damian:
Musetti had that very long Umag final on Saturday and yet still crushed Monfils on Sunday in Paris. He should remain deadly now that he’s got a day off, but Navone has already defeated him this year in Cagliari. The Italian’s intensity wasn’t fully there in that match and while the opponent is an excellent clay specialist, Musetti seems to be flying higher at the moment.
Prediction: Musetti in 3
Ateet:
It was a very short turnaround for Lorenzo Musetti as he had to play the next after reaching the final in Umag. But, it did not show in his performance as he crushed Gael Monfils easily in his Olympic debut. Mariano Navone will be a tougher opponent as he is consistent and has played a lot on clay this year. Musetti might be a bit tired but he is in great form and should win.
Prediction: Musetti in 2
Andreas:
Musetti is continuing to make a name for himself this summer, and he may be a dark horse for a medal by the end of this week. Navone has made a fast rise to the Top 30 this season, but he’s lacked the experience in bigger events such as Grand Slams. This may be too big of an occasion for Navone, and with Musetti’s great form, look for the Italian to capitalize.
Prediction: Musetti in 2
Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) vs Alexei Popyrin (Australia)
Damian:
A rematch for the Umag final of last year. Both players aren’t firing during this part of the season like they were in 2023 and even the fact they made it through the first round might be a surprise. Wawrinka has been playing okay but not getting the wins recently, after blasting Kotov off the court it seems like this event might help him produce some vintage magic.
Prediction: Wawrinka in 3
Ateet:
It was a vintage Stan Wawrinka performance against Pavel Kotov as the Swiss dropped just two games to win the match. Consistency has been an issue with Wawrinka this year but If he can play anywhere close to that level, he will beat Alexei Popyrin, who is not in great form.
Prediction: Wawrinka in 2
Andreas:
Wawrinka dispelled retirement rumors after a 6-1 6-1 win over Pavel Kotov. Popyrin is no stranger to clay, though, and defeated Wawrinka in the finals of Umag last summer. While Wawrinka seems to be playing well, Popyrin’s speed and powerful forehand may prove to be a big challenge for Wawrinka, who struggles with movement and endurance as of late.
Prediction: Popyrin in 3
Daniil Medvedev (Neutral) vs Sebastian Ofner (Austria)
Damian:
Medvedev is far from a clay-court artist like Cliff Drysdale famously once described him, but if given a good draw he can go pretty far on that surface as well. Seems like the Paris Olympics might be one of these events. Ofner will have to tune in his firepower much more than in the last few weeks to hit his way through him without making a hundred errors.
Prediction: Medvedev in 2
Ateet:
Daniil Medvedev had an easy start in the first round. He got broken once in the first set, but it was pretty much smooth sailing after that. He has a good draw and if he plays his best he should not have any problems beating Sebastian Ofner, who has a good serve but can’t hang in rallies with Medvedev.
Prediction: Medvedev in 2
Andreas:
Ofner snapped a losing streak by taking out Robin Haase 7-5 6-2. Haase only played his second singles event in the last year during that match, and this will be a major step up for Ofner. Medvedev has been improving on the clay courts, and he looked dangerous in a 6-2 6-1 sweep over Rinky Hijikata.
Prediction: Medvedev in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
