Wednesday, June 18

Sports Mole previews Thursday's Queen's Club Championships second-round match between Carlos Alcaraz and Jaume Munar, including predictions, head-to-head and their tournament so far.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jaume Munar clash in an all-Spanish affair at the Queen’s Club Championships on Thursday, aiming to emerge victorious in the second-round contest.

The top seed in London overcame a second-set scare to secure a straight-sets victory over lucky loser Adam Walton, who was a late entrant following Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s withdrawal, thereby setting up a fourth encounter between Alcaraz and Munar on the ATP Tour.

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Match preview

Alcaraz faced set points in the 10th game of the second set against Walton, but the No. 1 seed elevated his game to avoid a decider before claiming the ensuing tie-break for a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory.

The tournament-opening win marked the Spaniard's 14th consecutive triumph and his 23rd in his last 24 matches on clay and grass, with Holger Rune being the only player to have defeated the five-time Grand Slam champion since the start of April.

No player on the tour has matched the 22-year-old's 38 wins this year, and Alcaraz's four titles this season surpass all others on the men's tour thus far.

This enhances the 20-time titlist’s status as the clear favourite to claim a second title at Queen's this week, although tougher challenges lie ahead if the Spanish sensation is to secure his fourth grass-court title in London.

Entering the second round as the only previous winner of this event, Alcaraz, who improved to 25-3 on grass following Tuesday's victory, seeks to achieve a 26th win against his compatriot to advance to the last eight for the first time since his debut at the event two years ago, where he claimed his maiden title on the surface.

Even with Alcaraz arriving at the last-16 match as the clear favourite, their past confrontations have not been straightforward, albeit all occurring on clay.

Munar, competing at the Queen's Club for the first time, benefitted from Australian Jordan Thompson's retirement after the opening set, marking only his fourth career win in grass-court events.

This limited number of victories highlights the challenge facing the world No. 59, whose overall record of 4-11 underlines his broader difficulties in stringing together winning streaks on the surface.

Thus, it is not surprising that Munar has never won consecutive main-draw matches on grass heading into Thursday's encounter against the top-ranked player in West Kensington.

Having not beaten Alcaraz since their initial meeting in 2021, the underdog strives to achieve the unthinkable and stun the world No. 2 for only his fifth-ever victory on a grass court.

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Tournament so far

Carlos Alcaraz:

First round: vs. Adam Walton 6-4 7-6[4]

Jaume Munar:

First round: vs. Jordan Thompson 7-5 ret

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Head To Head

Marbella (2021) - Semi-final: Munar 7-6(4) 6-4

Rio (2022) - Round of 32: Alcaraz 2-6 6-2 6-1

Barcelona (2022) - Round of 16: Alcaraz 6-3 6-3

Thursday's encounter in London will be the first time Alcaraz and Munar have faced off since 2022.

Although the five-time Grand Slam champion leads the head-to-head 2-1, the older player emerged victorious in their maiden encounter in Marbella four years prior, beating the then-teenage wildcard in straight sets and failing to reach the championship match.

Alcaraz has since overcome that early setback by winning their next two meetings in 2022, triumphing in a three-setter in Rio before following it up with a straight-sets victory in Barcelona that same year.

Munar, who has only ever secured four wins on grass, holds a 3-17 record against top-10 players and stands at 2-7 when facing the top five, underscoring his underdog status ahead of Thursday.

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We say: Alcaraz to win in two sets

Despite Alcaraz’s tendency for topsy-turvy matches, the top seed is expected to dispatch Munar in straight sets with little difficulty.

Munar has managed just one victory in seven encounters against top-10 players since the start of 2023, and that number is unlikely to increase at the expense of the 2023 Queen's champion. ID:575720:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5581:

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