Richard Gasquet vs Carlos Alcaraz Prediction: Bet on the Spaniard to win

In the Australian Open, Frenchman Richard Gasquet, the 131st-ranked player, will face Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, currently No. 2 in the world rankings. The guys have crossed paths once before on Tour, in 2021 at Umaga, and the Spaniard won that meeting in two sets.

Gasquet played three matches at the Challenger in New Caledonia in 2024, one at the Auckland tournament against Fils, and an exhibition match against Polmans. The result is three wins in five games over Marchenko, Mpetshi Perricard, and Polmans, with losses to Brouwer and Fils. There's not much to be desired from Gasquet in the upcoming game, and all that matters is the form of the world number two.

Alcaraz finished 2023 at the World Tour Finals, where he reached the semifinals and lost to Novak Djokovic at that stage. In the new season, the Spaniard played one match, an exhibition match against Novak, and the Spaniard managed to take revenge for his defeat in Turin 4:6, 6:4, 6:4 in an hour and 52 minutes. The Spaniard has not played any official matches in the new season yet.

If Alcaraz could beat Gasquet in 2021, why can't he repeat that success in early 2024? The Frenchman has not gotten any younger over the past time, having noticeably lost ground in ability and form. But the Spaniard, on the contrary, has noticeably improved, becoming one of the world's strongest tennis players, the second racket in the world, and the second favorite for the Australian Open. We believe that Alcaraz will have no problems achieving a result on Tuesday; we bet on a very confident victory of the second racket in the world.