The second round gets underway in earnest on day three at the ATP Barcelona Open, with some of the biggest stars in the draw set to commence their campaigns after first-round byes. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Ilya Ivashka and Alex de Minaur vs Ugo Humbert. But who will advance?
ATP Barcelona Day 3 Predictions
Frances Tiafoe vs Hugo Dellien
Head-to-head: first meeting
An interesting matchup between Frances Tiafoe and Hugo Dellien. Tiafoe is clearly the more talented of the two, but Dellien is perhaps more consistent and reliable, especially on the red clay. Dellien has also already claimed three straight-sets victories this week after coming through the qualifying, and that should make him better prepared for this match than the American, who will be playing his first match of the week. Nevertheless, Tiafoe will be a big step up in opposition compared with anyone Dellien has faced this tournament. In fact, a disciplined performance from Tiafoe should see him prevail quite comfortably. He has the athleticism to match Dellien, as well as possessing far more firepower and variety.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 2
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Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Carlos Taberner
Head-to-head: first meeting
It’s been a great week for Carlos Taberner. The Spaniard cruised through the qualifying, dropping just five games through a pair of straight-sets wins. Taberner then claimed one of the biggest wins of his career as he thrashed the highly fancied Sebastian Korda 6-3 6-0 in the first round of the main draw. Taberner will be the underdog once again up against the third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, but this is a good time to play the Canadian. Auger-Aliassime has lost four of his last five matches and is clearly struggling with form and confidence. There’s a real chance for Taberner to take advantage against the third seed, who may also be slightly rusty in his first match of the tournament. The Spaniard, in contrast, is in great form this week and looks ready to pull off the upset.
Prediction: Taberner in 3
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Carlos Alcaraz vs Soonwoo Kwon
Head-to-head: first meeting
Carlos Alcaraz made a surprisingly disappointing start to his European clay court campaign in Monte Carlo last week losing to Sebastian Korda in three sets in his opener. The 18-year-old will be keen to rebound in Barcelona, a tournament normally dominated by his idol Rafael Nadal. With Nadal not in attendance this year, the hopes and expectations of the locals may well have switched to Alcaraz. That pressure could tell eventually, but he should have little trouble in his first match of the week against Kwon Soon-woo. Kwon defeated a lacklustre Benoit Paire 6-4 6-4 in the opening round, but to say Alcaraz will be a big step up in opposition would be an understatement. Clay is traditionally Kwon’s worst surface and he might be in for a clay-court lesson here against a determined Alcaraz.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 2
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Grigor Dimitrov vs Federico Coria
Head-to-head: first meeting
Grigor Dimitrov arrived at the ATP Barcelona Open in great form fresh from a run to the semifinals in Monte Carlo last week, where he claimed notable wins over Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz. He will take some stopping this week in Barcelona if he brings a similar level to the court. Federico Coria, meanwhile, moved into the second round thanks to a 6-2 3-6 6-1 win over Marcos Giron, but a much steadier performance will probably be required if he is to upset the Bulgarian. Ultimately, however, based on Dimitrov’s form last week it’s hard to see Coria coming out on top. Anything close to the level Dimitrov showed in Monte Carlo should be enough against Coria.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 2
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