Day three at the ATP Barcelona Open is loaded with plenty of intriguing matches. It promises to be a thriller when Nicolas Jarry and Karen Khachanov battle for a spot in the round of 16. As always, we predict all of the day’s matches. In addition to this article, we have the rest of the day’s matches in two other articles. One features Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Pedro Cachin and the second features Jannik Sinner vs Diego Schwartzman. Who do you think will come out on top?
ATP Barcelona Day 3 Predictions
Alex de Minaur vs Alexander Shevchenko
Head-to-head: first meeting
Alex de Minaur will need to address his recent slide. He has posted one win in four matches since he won in Acapulco. Shevchenko, meanwhile, cracked the Top 100 for the first time after bagging his second Challenger title in Madrid at the weekend. He’s kept the winning streak intact after swatting aside Lorenzo Giustino for the loss of four games here in Barcelona. It may seem fanciful, but Shevchenko could be onto something even bigger in the coming weeks. Right now though de Minaur is superior in every facet.
Prediction: de Minaur in 3
Cameron Norrie vs Pavel Kotov
Head-to-head: first meeting
After suffering three consecutive defeats, Cameron Norrie is in danger of undoing all the good work he sewed during the Golden Swing. Strangely enough, in each of those losses, Norrie was touted as the odds-on favorite. Kotov, meanwhile, has done a lot of heavy lifting, coming through a pair of three-set qualifying matches and then winning his opener also in three. Norrie needs an imminent reaction in Barcelona and he should be expected to get through his first match unscathed.
Prediction: Norrie in 2
Jason Kubler vs Lorenzo Musetti
Head-to-head: first meeting
Lorenzo Musetti comes into this match after one of his best weeks on the ATP Tour. The Italian had made an indifferent start to the year, but delivered a timely reminder of his clay-court class in reaching the last four in Monte Carlo last week, beating Djokovic en route. Musetti will have to guard against a let down here, but if he can maintain the level he displayed in the Principality, or even something close to it, he should have the beating of Jason Kubler. The Australian was solid in the first round to beat the young gun Daniel Rincon, but this marks a huge step up in class and it is probably not one he is equipped to make.
Prediction: Musetti in 2
Karen Khachanov vs Nicolas Jarry
Head-to-head: Khachanov 1-0 Jarry
2019 was one of Jarry’s best seasons on Tour. He won his maiden ATP title, and it was the same year he reached the quarterfinal in Barcelona garnering wins over Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov. He has hit those dizzying heights again. He played phenomenal tennis during the Golden Swing, capturing his second career title on home soil in Santiago.
Last week he squeezed the life out of Stefanos Tsitsipas in his round of 16 defeat in Monte Carlo. Khachanov, meanwhile, fared decently outside his comfort blanket on hard courts, reaching the round of 16 at the Principality and only losing to eventual champion Andrey Rublev. Still, Jarry might just edge this one. With double-digit wins on clay, the Chilean should be bouncing with enormous confidence and attacking verve.
Prediction: Jarry in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
