Rio Open: Thiago Monteiro faces Italian number six in the world - ISTOÉ DINHEIRO

The Italian Matteo Berrettini, number six in the ranking of the Professional Tennis Association (ATP), will be the opponent of Thiago Monteiro (106th) in the main game this Thursday (17th) for the Rio Open, the most important tennis tournament in South America. South, at the Jockey Club Brasileiro, in Rio de Janeiro. The match will be played after the confrontation between the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (29th) and the Argentine Federico Delbonis (37th), which starts at 19:00 (Brasilia time), on the Guga Kuerten court.

The duel will be valid for the second round and is worth a spot in the quarterfinals. Last Tuesday (15), for the first phase, Monteiro, who entered the main draw as a guest, defeated Argentine Sebastian Baez (72nd) by two sets to one, with partials of 1/6, 6/4 and 6/4. Vice-champion of Wimbledon, one of the four main tournaments on the circuit (the so-called Grand Slams), Berretini will make his debut at the Rio Open. The Italian is the grandson of a Brazilian.

Who will also be in action this Thursday is Bruno Soares. The duo formed by the miner, number 17 in the world, and the British Jamie Murray (21st) will face the partnership of the French Benoit Paire (70th in doubles, 52nd in singles) with the Spaniard Albert Ramos-Viñolas (33rd in singles). The match will be the second on court 1, which will open with an individual bracket match, between Italian Lorenzo Sonego (21st) and Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic (70th), which starts at 4:30 pm.

Soares and Murray debuted last Wednesday (16) with a victory over Orlando Luz (93rd in doubles, 290th in singles) and São Paulo Rogério Dutra Silva (1055th in doubles, 631st in singles) by two sets to zero (6 /3 and 6/2). The duel was the last of Rogerinho’s career, who retires from the courts at the age of 38, with the best placement being 63rd place, in singles, achieved in July 2017. After the game, the veteran was honored on the court.

“The Rio Open is the best tournament, the best place, with the best audience. I always liked to play here, with the crowd close by. Since I arrived to play in my last tournament, I’ve enjoyed every moment. A movie played in my head, remembering how hard it was to leave where I left, playing 20 years as a professional, today I speak four languages, I know the whole world. I’m going to sleep peacefully tonight because I know I closed my career with a golden key”, said Rogerinho.