Tuesday's opening round of the 2023 Rio Open will feature world number 51 Alex Molcan of Slovakia taking against world number 57 Laslo Djere of Serbia.
Follow Us
After three final appearances on clay in the previous 21 months, all of which ended in defeat, Molcan is still waiting for victory on the senior circuit. Molcan picked up the loser’s check in Marrakech and Lyon for two of those defeats that occurred within a few weeks of one another last year. The Slovak number one is the first to admit that 2023 has not started out as well as he would have wanted. Prior to a five set victory over Stan Wawrinka in the first round of the Australian Open, he started the year off with consecutive losses in Pune and Auckland. He was two sets down when he was forced to withdraw due to injury from his second round match against Augur Aliassime, and he hasn’t won since. In Buenos Aires, Dominic Thiem defeated him in straight sets, ending his one singles Davis Cup match loss.
Djere will cherish his memories of this competition from five years ago because it was there that he won his maiden senior ATP title by defeating Felix Augur-Aliassime. Since then, he has lost in the final of the Sardinia Open and won the same tournament on clay, albeit his most recent final was in Winston Salem last year on hard courts. He was defeated by Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in that encounter. He has had a mixed season thus far, making it to Auckland’s quarterfinals and Pune’s second round. Laslo Djere’s participation at the Australian Open was cut short by Grigor Dimitrov in the second round, and he lost in the same round in Buenos Aires last week. He can use the fact that he was facing Carlos Alcaraz, the top-ranked player in the world, and that he had forced the Spanish into three sets as an excuse.
| Laslo Djere vs Alex Molcan | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | February 21, 2023 |
| Surface | Clay |
| Tournament | Rio Open |
| Stage | First round |
| Time (India) | 01:00 am |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz | 2-6, 6-4, 2-6 (L) |
| Fabio Fognini | 6-4, 6-4 (W) |
| Viktor Durasovic | 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (W) |
| Grigor Dimitrov | 3-6, 2-6, 0-6 (L) |
| Zizou Bergs | 6-4, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 (W) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Dominic Thiem | 6-7, 3-6 (L) |
| Tim Van Rijthoven | 6-7, 7-5, 3-6 (L) |
| Felix Auger | 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 2-6 (L) |
| Stan Wawrinka | 6-7, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 (W) |
| Quentin Halys | 3-6, 4-6 (L) |
The two have faced off twice, with Djere earning his retaliation in Pune last month after Molcan won on the clay in Marrakech last year.
Laslo Djere and Alex Molcan will take on each other in the first round of the 2023 ATP Rio Open on February 21.
Australia – beIN Sports
Canada – TSN
Latin America – ESPN
UK- Amazon Prime Video
USA, India – Tennis Channel
All ATP and WTA Tour level matches can be viewed on demand on the Tennis TV website and app.
