Richard Gasquet vs Carlos Alcaraz Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Australian Open

Prediction published on 15/01/2024, 05:20  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 15/01/2024 at 21:05 in ATP Australian Open Prediction

Second seed Carlos Alcaraz begins his Australian Open campaign with a first round match against unseeded Richard Gasquet. World number two Alcaraz could return to the top of the rankings if he were to win this tournament for the first time. The Spaniard is playing this outdoor hard court Grand Slam for only the third time. His best run is making the third round in 2022 and he missed last year's tournament due to injury. Alcaraz did win Wimbledon last year and reached the semi-finals at both Roland Garros and the US Open. He reached eight ATP Tour finals in 2023 and won six of them. Only one of those titles was won in a hard court tournament but the last final he made it to was last August. This is his first event of the year and the second time he's faced Gasquet. The only previous meeting was in clay in the final of a tournament held in Umag and Alcaraz won in straight sets.

Richard Gasquet is currently down at 76th in the rankings. His career high is seventh but that was achieved 17 years ago. The 37-year-old has never made it past the fourth round in this Grand Slam. Last year saw him knocked out in the first round and a similar fate awaits him here. Gasquet played all four of the Grand Slams last year but didn't get past round one in any of them. This is his third tournament of the new year. He reached the quarter final of a Challenger Tour event and then lost in the first round to Arthur Fils in Auckland where he was the defending champion. Back Alcaraz to win this in straight sets.