Some of the world’s best tennis players will descend upon Rio de Janeiro on February 19th for the fifth installment of the Rio Open at Jockey Club Brasileiro. Marin Cilic, who is ranked as the No. 3 player in the world right now by the ATP men’s rankings, has snagged the top seed in this event. World No. 6 and the event’s defending champion Dominic Thiem is the No. 2 seed and Pablo Carreño Busta, who is ranked tenth in the world, comes in as the No. 3 seed.
Rio Open Odds
The odds have not yet been released for the Rio Open, so it’s tough to know exactly what players will be the most worthwhile bets. As standard practice, the top seeds will generally be favored to make the deepest runs, and it would not be a surprise to see Cilic as the favorite in this tournament when the numbers are released.
While Cilic is a very good player, he isn’t quite in the same stratosphere as players like Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer. If one of those two players were here they would have easily been the player to beat and anything less than a tournament title would have been considered disappointing.
Cilic doesn’t quite live up to that standard but seeing as how the others aren’t here, he is taking aim at a championship.
Top Contenders
While Cilic may be the favorite, Thiem is an intriguing choice since he has the confidence from winning the tournament a year ago. He is back to defend that championship and has a high seed to boot so the path should be workable.
Thiem knocked off Pablo Carreno Busta in the finals in 2017, and Busta is back as one of the top-seeded players as well so he shouldn’t be counted out. ALbert Ramos Vinolas is a top four seed and he made it to the semifinals a year ago, so the top seeds are stocked with players who have good experience at this tournament.
Don’t forget about Pablo Cuevas as a possible darkhorse. He is one of the lower seeds but won the Rio Open back in 2016 and knocked off No. 1 seed Rafael Nadal in the process. Thiem made it to the semifinals in 2016 before last year’s title so he will enter feeling good about his chances.
Seeds
- Marin Cilic
- Dominic Thiem
- Pablo Carreño Busta
- Albert Ramos Viñolas
- Fabio Fognini
- Diego Schwartzman
- Kyle Edmund
- Pablo Cuevas
Matchups to Watch
The quarterfinals could get pretty interesting if Cuevas and Cilic meet there. Cilic has a pretty tough road overall as he could have to see Cuevas and Vinolas before getting out of his side of the draw. Thiem seems to have a much easier trek, and that is something to keep in mind when considering the odds.
Thiem has shown he can win this tournament and could pay off better than Cilic, who has a better body of work overall on the tour.
Event Notes
The Rio Open is played outdoor on clay courts. The amount of prize money is a touch over $1.4 million, so it will be a nice payday for the winner, who will collect more than $324,000. Cilic, Thiem and Busta are the three players in the tournament that are ranked in the Top-10 in the world heading into the action.
The three players who received wild cards were Thomaz Bellucci, Rogerio Dutra Silva and Casper Ruud. Two players withdrew from the Rio Open: Alexandr Dolgopolov and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe.
Tennis Picks
Cilic is one of the top-ranked players in the world and the top seed, so plenty of people will choose him to win the Rio Open. However, the value is not there. The better choice is Vinolas, who is familiar with this court and has the capability to pull upsets and claim the trophy.
While Vinolas will be an underdog to win it he is the best value and should be considered.
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