Hugo Dellien vs Cameron Norrie Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Rio Open

Prediction published on 23/02/2023, 09:47  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 23/02/2023 at 11:36 in Tennis Predictions

Second seeded Cameron Norrie faces unseeded Hugo Dellien in the Rio Open quarter finals. Norrie is making a determined effort to be in good shape for the European clay court season. He reached the final in Buenos Aires last week, losing to Carlos Alcaraz. Norrie started this week ranked 13th but is a place lower in the live rankings. That's because he's due to lose all the points earned when reaching the Acapulco final last year. A win here will take him back to 13th place in the live rankings. This week has gone well for the British number one with two straight sets wins. He beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo in round one and then top Brazilian player Thiago Monteiro. Of his four sets played this week, three of them have gone to 7-5. Possible opponents in the semi-final are Albert Ramos Villas (7th) and Francisco Cerundolo (4th)

Hugo Dellien gained automatic entry into the main draw of the Rio Open due to a protected ranking. He was 64th last year but an elbow injury saw him drop down the rankings. He's making steady progress up the list though. After being 139th at one stage this year, he was 111th at the beginning of this tournament. His run to the quarter finals has seen him back in the top 100 at 94th. Another 15 places can be climbed if beating Norrie. This year has seen him get to two semi-finals on clay. One in a Challenger Tour event in Chile and the other on the ATP event held in Cordoba. This week has seen him beat Joao Sousa and ninth seeded Alex Molcan. He lost the first set to Molcan but then won the next two for the loss of only four games.  Back Norrie to win this but it might take him three sets to do so.