We are predicting all of the matches on Day 1 of the ATP Barcelona Open. There are many story lines on Monday. Andrey Kuznetsov will be looking to record his first Tour-level victory this season, and will Benoit Paire be motivated to produce his best tennis? We also predict the rest of the Day 1 matches between two other articles. One features Egor Gerasimov vs Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and the other features Kei Nishikori vs Guido Pella.
ATP Barcelona Open Day 1 Predictions
Benoit Paire vs Federico Gaio
Head to Head: First Meeting
Much has been said about Benoit Paire’s attitude on the court recently, with the Frenchman criticizing the ATP Tour and the lack of fans at events. The Frenchman has only won one ATP Tour match this season and has admitted that he does not care about results. Paire is always unpredictable in what level he will produce on the court.
Federico Gaio’s best result this season was a semifinal appearance in the first Bella Challenger, where he lost to eventual champion Illya Marchenko. However, the Italian has lost all of his main Tour appearances this season. He predominantly plays on the ATP Challenger Tour and in qualifying for Tour-level events. I think Benoit Paire will win his first match since February. Even if he is not fully invested in the match, he still has an ability to maintain a high enough level of tennis to get the win.
Prediction: Paire in 2
Ilya Ivashka vs Tallon Griekspoor
Head to Head: First Meeting
This is a match between two qualifiers. Ivashka has played a mixture of Challenger and main tour events this season. He recently had success on the clay in a run to the quarterfinals of the Andalucia Open, which included an impressive straight sets win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Griekspoor has also played a mixture of Challenger Tour and main tour events, with his most notable results being runs to the last 16 in Montpellier and Acapulco.
This has the potential to be a close match. However, I am giving the edge to Ivashka as he will be confident after his strong performance in Andalucia. Griekspoor has beaten players of the calibre of Stan Wawrinka in Tour events, though, so he will not be an easy opponent to beat.
Prediction: Ivashka in 3
Bernabe Zapata Miralles vs Andrey Kuznetsov
Head to Head: First Meeting
Currently residing just within the world’s top 150, with a ranking of #147, Zapata Miralles has played predominantly in qualifying for tour events and on the ATP Challenger Tour. Undoubtedly the highlight of his year so far was a straight sets win over John Millman in Dubai, the Spaniards only Tour level victory this season
Andrey Kuznetsov has played on the Futures tour and the ATP Challenger Tour this season. He has struggled to find the form that saw him reach #39 in the world in 2016, and is currently ranked #480. He reached the quarterfinals of the first St Petersburg Challenger and reached the final of a Futures event in Russia. This could be a close match as the Spaniard will not be used to being the favorite in a Tour level match. However, I think he will get the win in three sets.
Prediction: Zapata Miralles in 3
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