Only seeded players remain as the Olympics progress into the quarterfinals on Thursday. No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz is going up against No. 9 Tommy Paul, while No. 6 Casper Ruud faces No. 13 Felix Auger-Aliassime.

(9) Tommy Paul vs. (2) Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz and Paul will renew their rivalry when they battle for semifinal spot at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. A recent 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory in the Wimbledon quarters gave Alcaraz a 3-2 lead in the head-to-head series. It has been every bit as competitive as that small 3-2 margin suggests. They traded three-set victories at last summer’s two hard-court Masters 1000 tournaments and Paul led by a set and a break at the All-England Club before Alcaraz took control.

Thursday’s showdown also promises to be a fun one. Alcaraz is obviously a massive favorite, but Paul cannot be discounted. In addition to his history of success in this matchup, the 13th-ranked American is in spectacular form. He captured the Queen’s Club title prior to his Wimbledon run and has improved his season record to 34-11 following straight-set wins over Luciano Darderi, Jakub Mensik, and Corentin Moutet. Alcaraz has already played six matches this week–three in singles and three in doubles. It’s a workload the 21-year-old can handle, but for many reasons this has the makings of another competitive contest between the two friendly rivals.

Pick: Alcaraz in 3

(6) Casper Ruud vs. (13) Felix Auger-Aliassime

Auger-Aliassime has failed to produce his best results in 2024, but a rare return to clay following Wimbledon has proven to be just what the doctor ordered. The 19th-ranked Canadian opened with wins over Marcos Giron and Maximilian Marterer before upsetting Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(5) on Wednesday.

Standing in Auger-Aliassime’s way of the medal rounds is Ruud, who leads the head-to-head series 3-2 on the main tour and 4-3 overall. The ninth-ranked Norwegian has won two of their three previous clay-court encounters. So far in Paris he has knocked off Taro Daniel, Andreas Vavassori, and Umag champion Francisco Cerundolo. This will likely be competitive most of the way, but Ruud is in superior form and is even more of a clay-court lover than Auger-Aliassime.

Pick: Ruud in 2