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Match Details
Fixture: (2) Carlos Alcaraz vs Matteo Arnaldi
Date: March 8, 2024
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California, US
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize Money: $8,995,555
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel/TC Plus | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Carlos Alcaraz vs Matteo Arnaldi preview
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will face off against Matteo Arnaldi in the second round of the 2024 BNP Paribas Open on Friday.
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It has been a rather underwhelming year for Alcaraz by his lofty standards. He reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time in his career but came up short against Alexander Zverev.
Alcaraz then headed to Buenos Aires to defend his title at the Argentina Open. He made it to the semifinals where he was knocked out by Nicolas Jarry. His time at the Rio Open was quite brief as he injured himself just minutes into his first-round match against Thiago Monteiro and retired immediately.
Alcaraz prepared for his title defense here by contesting an exhibition match against Rafael Nadal a few days ago. The 20-year-old edged out his older countryman to win the contest 3-6, 6-4, 14-12. As the second seed at Indian Wells, he received a bye into the second round.
Arnaldi took on fellow next-gen player Luca Van Assche in the first round here. The Italian trailed by a break in both sets but mounted a fightback to force a tie-break on each occasion. He gained the upper hand in both tie-breaks to score a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3) victory.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Matteo Arnaldi head-to-head
Alcaraz leads Arnaldi 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2023 US Open in straight sets.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Matteo Arnaldi odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Matteo Arnaldi prediction
Arnaldi proved his mettle once again as he sneaked past Van Assche in two tight sets in the first round. The young Italian is one of the many players from the country who're quickly making an impression with their results.
Arnaldi also claimed his second win over a top-10 player at last week's Mexican Open. He defeated Taylor Fritz in three sets and even put up a fight against Ben Shelton in the second round, but lost to him in three sets.
Alcaraz is yet to win a title since his triumph at last year's Wimbledon. He has also reached just one more final since then, which was at the Cincinnati Masters where he lost to Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz scored a routine win over Arnaldi the last time they crossed paths but it's unlikely to be the same this time. The Italian has improved a lot since then in terms of gameplay.
Alcaraz looks a lot more vulnerable this year as well. The Spaniard's accomplishments do make him the favorite in this clash but if he's not at his best, another early exit could await him.
Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in three sets.
