Line Calls, presented by FanDuel Sportsbook: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Federico Delbonis

On Thursday, world No. 29 Carlos Alcaraz and world No. 37 Federico Delbonis battle it out at the Rio Open in Brazil. Both of these players thrive on clay, so you should expect the best out of them here. It is, however, fair to question whether Delbonis’ best will be good enough.

Delbonis has won two career ATP titles, both on clay, but the most recent was way back in 2016. And the lefty has looked a bit shakier than usual on his preferred surface to start the year. He was blown off the court by Casper Ruud in Buenos Aires last week, and he also suffered an early-round loss against Carlos Taberner in Cordoba to kick off February. Delbonis’ record in 2022 is just 5-5, and that doesn’t instill much confidence against Alcaraz, who appears poised for a big-time breakout.

Alcaraz has put on a ton of muscle over the past year, which has made him an even better prospect than he already was. Already a fantastic clay-courter, Alcaraz now has a bit more power with his groundstrokes, which is going to make him extremely tough to beat. The 18-year-old moves well, plays smart, and has everything he needs to compete at the highest level.

The Spaniard’s first clay-court match of the season also turned out to be an impressive showing, as Alcaraz earned a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Jaume Munar. The first set got away from Alcaraz a bit, but it was encouraging for his backers to see him shake it off and dominate the rest of the way. Munar isn’t off to the fastest start In 2022, but he is one of the more promising young players in the world on clay. It ultimately proved to be a good test for Alcaraz, and ideal prep for his match against Delbonis.

This will be the first meeting between Alcaraz and Delbonis, and we should see the youngster get off to a winning start in their head-to-head series. Whereas it might have been realistic to expect Delbonis to overpower the youngster a year ago, that is no longer the case. Delbonis can also be a bit shaky with his serve—he seemingly tosses the ball higher than anyone—while Alcaraz is sturdy as can be.

There’s a reason that Alcatraz is a -300 favorite in a match with two players that are ranked in the same ballpark. The oddsmakers know that the Spaniard has a significant edge here, and that’s why we’re backing him to win this one in straight sets.

Pick: Alcaraz To Win 2-0 [in straight sets] (-110)