Olympic tennis tournament in Paris, semi-finals, Friday, 02.08.2024, 13:30
One was expected to be in the top four, but the other wasn’t! The two semi-finals at the Paris Olympics are on the program today, and both have a clear favorite.
Spain versus Canada – that’s the match-up I’m going to have to deal with now. It’s a duel in which only one team has been convincing recently, and it’s precisely this team that is heavily favored on Friday. In my Auger-Aliassime Alcaraz betting tip, I’ll tell you what makes me bet on a tiebreaker despite odds of 2.7
Carlos Alcaraz is aiming for the next milestone in his already glittering career: Olympic gold! The Spaniard is back in the same place where he won his next major tournament a few weeks ago at the French Open.
Of course, it’s not really surprising that he made it to the semi-finals. Lost sets in Paris? You look in vain for them! Is it because his opponents are too easy or is it because nobody can beat Carlos Alcaraz in the French capital?
He won 6-3, 6-1 against Hady Habib at the start and followed this up a little later with a 6-1, 7-6 win against Tallon Griekspoor. After all, it was a tie-break that he no longer needed in his 6-4, 6-2 win over Roman Safiullin
Tommy Paul was also only able to make life difficult for him in one set, with the favorite securing a 6-3, 7-6 win. So it seems to be a mix, on the one hand the opponents are easy to play against, on the other hand the 21-year-old simply radiates an enormous calmness.
Unfortunately, he has already been eliminated in the doubles with Rafael Nadal, so he can concentrate fully on the singles. Alcaraz is already playing for the medals, but of course he has his sights set on the glittering gold.
At first glance, Felix Auger-Aliassime could be an unpleasant opponent, as the score is 3:3 in the direct comparison. But you have to take a closer look here, as the last three matches have all gone to Spain!
Alcaraz won twice in 2024 and the last three results were as follows: 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, as well as 6-2, 6-3 and 6-4, 6-4 – he didn’t drop a single set. Incidentally, the most recent result was achieved at the French Open, which is also where he will be serving on Friday.
It is therefore no surprise that the bookmakers have taken a relatively clear position. They see Alcaraz clearly ahead with average odds of 1.14 to 5.85, and in the Bet365 app there is also no doubt who is ahead.
Felix Auger-Aliassime has surprisingly played his way into this semi-final, but his participation is by no means undeserved. He started with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Marcos Giron, then defeated Maximilian Marterer 6-0, 6-1 in quick succession
He probably pulled off the biggest surprise in the round of 16 when he beat Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6. Casper Ruud, the clay court specialist, demanded everything from him, but in the end it was the Canadian who cheered again.
6-4, 6-7, 6-3, a real tour de force lifted the 23-year-old into this semi-final. Sometimes he beats the world’s best, then he fails again against outsiders – you really have to be prepared for anything with Auger-Aliassime in 2024.
How will he cope with the double burden? Shortly before his semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz, he and Gabriela Dabrowski will compete in the mixed doubles, with Demi Schuurs and Wesley Koolhof going for bronze
My Auger-Aliassime Alcaraz tip
The competition already knew before the start that it wouldn’t be easy to get past Carlos Alcaraz at these Olympic Games. The Spaniard reached the semi-finals without dropping a set and recently won three times against his current rival.
Felix Auger-Aliassime has been a positive surprise in these matches and was particularly convincing on his serve. He has already made somewhat surprising progress against Daniil Medvedev and Casper Ruud. That’s why I think he has a small chance of reaching the final and I’m betting on him:
We’ll see at least one tiebreak!
