With the bottom half of the draw seeing some seeds depart, it does feel like things are aligning for Holger Rune. The Dane is still considered the favourite to make the final from this half but it will still likely not be straight forward. Should be beat Genaro Alberto Olivieri, his fourth round match is the only one that could be between the two highest seeds possible. Ninth seed Taylor Fritz is the favourite but it won’t be easy for him against Francisco Cerundolo.
Olivieri has had a lot of fortune to make it to this stage but you still have to give credit to the Argentinian, who has took his chance with both hands in Paris so far. He navigated a fairly weak qualifying draw before picking up two wins in the main draw against players that are also Challenger Tour mainstays. He held his nerve in the last round against Andrea Vavassori, winning first and fourth set tiebreaks to move on.
After navigating a tricky opener against Christopher Eubanks, Rune was slated for a dramatic night session with Gael Monfils but the Frenchman’s exploits in round one did for him and he would have to withdraw from the tournament. He is currently 14-3 on the clay this year and has looked the best on the surface of those who failed to win a Masters 1000 title.
This should be a fairly easy match for Rune, who is facing an opponent who has never been anywhere the Top 150. A well rested Rune should not be troubled at all by Alberto Olivieri, who will be hoping just to make sure the scoreline does not look too disastrous for him. The sixth seed will definitely have one eye on the rest of the tournament after being provided with two draw gifts in a row.
Prediction – Holger Rune in straight sets
