Certain seeds are making their debuts on Tuesday, but there are still a bunch of interesting Round of 64 encounters worth watching at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Will David Ferrer postpone his Conde de Godó farewell for at least one more day?
ATP Barcelona Day 2 Predictions
Joao Sousa vs Guido Pella
Head to Head: Sousa 2-1 Pella
All three previous matches took place within the last year, with Pella winning in straights at Roland Garros and Sousa prevailing in two closely contested matches in Melbourne and in Rio de Janeiro.
Overall, the Portuguese is enduring a subpar campaign, whereas the Argentinian southpaw is currently at a career-high ranking of No. 28. According to Tennis Abstract’s clay-specific ELO Rating, Pella is the sixth best player on tour on dirt.
Prediction: Pella in 2
Cameron Norrie vs Albert Ramos
Head to Head: Ramos 1-0 Norrie
Early in 2018, Norrie earned a fair share of headlines for his Davis Cup win in five sets over Roberto Bautista Agut in Marbella. The Brit had minimal clay court experience entering prior to that week and all of the sudden he upset a rock-solid top 20. Two days later, the stout Ramos defeated Norrie in four to save the weekend for the hosts. Their trajectories since have gone in opposite directions. The Spanish lefty seems far off from his best, while the ex-TCU standout is peaking at a career-high No. 45.
Prediction: Norrie in 3
Christian Garin vs Martin Klizan
Head to Head: first meeting
The draw overlords decided to pit a true clay specialist like Garin against the talented but unpredictable Klizan. The 22-year-old Chilean finally broke through the big leagues with a sensational late season push in 2018. This campaign, Garin completed a solid Golden Swing and captured his first tour-level title on the Houston clay. But the European clay season is a different animal. Meanwhile, the Slovakian returns to Catalonia a year after upsetting Novak Djokovic at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona. The result of this clash hinges on which version of Klizan will show up on Tuesday.
Prediction: Klizan in 3
David Ferrer vs Mischa Zverev
Head to Head: Zverev 1-0 Ferrer
Disregard the head to head record, as their previous meeting took place on indoor hard courts when dinosaurs still existed all the way back in 2008. In what will presumably be the penultimate tournament of his illustrious career, Ferrer is a heavy favorite against the struggling Zverev. The Spaniard has won at least one match at every tournament he has entered in 2019. At 36 years of age, Ferru may run out of gas earlier than his younger self, but he’s still a pesky foe when his batteries are fully charged. On the other hand, Zverev is 1-6 on the year, with the lone win coming via retirement against a cramping Nicola Kuhn in Miami. It’s hard to see the German turning his season around in Barcelona.
Prediction: Ferrer in 2
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