I'm going to say the word "Carlos Alcaraz" so many times you'll think I have a man-crush, but the stats just don't lie. Being the 2nd seed of the tournament, Alcaraz has the favor of Lady Luck on his side. I mean, his past successes against Tommy "The Tortoise" Paul also make him a walking, talking, forehand-smacking betting favorite.

Looking closely at the crystal ball of past matches, Carlos has gotten the best out of Paul in 4 out of their 5 encounters. It's like Paul can't quite get the measure of Carlos, or maybe it's just the universe having fun. Who knows?

Sniffing at their recent games, our man Alcaraz glides through matches like a hot knife through butter, leaving his rivals feeling like they're fresh out of the toaster. On the other side, Paul had to shed blood, sweat, and perhaps some tears, to rack up those last few victories. Not pretty, but hey, a win is a win.

So, where does this leave us? Oh yeah, our prediction. Ladies and gentlemen, unless Paul turns into a tennis god, or Alcaraz forgets how to play (and trust me, that's like me forgetting how to be snarky), Alcaraz is that fast horse in the race that you can be pretty darn sure will have the gold medal around his neck at the end.

Albert’s Prediction: Alcaraz in 3 sets.