Players in the bottom half of the draw will be in action on Day 3 of the ATP Barcelona Open. There will be a Monte-Carlo rematch when Jannik Sinner squares off against Diego Schwartzman. As always we have all second-round matches covered in our daily predictions, with three of them in this article. 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 Karen Khachanov vs Nicolas Jarry. But who will advance?
ATP Barcelona Day 3 Predictions
Grigor Dimitrov vs Emilio Gomez
Head-to-head: first meeting
Dimitrov had a bye in the first round and perhaps anticipated drawing Albert Ramos Vinolas in his first match. But that quickly changed after Emilio Gomez authored an upset win over the Spanish lefty. In the aftermath of one of his practice sessions, Dimitrov was involved in a freak robbery incident in the streets of Barcelona but thankfully was not harmed. He’s deemed himself ready and he should win pretty convincingly here.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 2
Dan Evans vs Matteo Arnaldi
Head-to-head: first meeting
Evans was regarded by many as one of the weakest clay courters in the top 100. But not anymore. A couple of seasons ago he shockingly made the semifinal in Monte Carlo, beating Hubert Hurkacz and Novak Djokovic. And a fortnight ago he reached the Marrakech last four losing to eventual champion Carballes Baena. Evans has maximized his strengths instead of working on his weaknesses on the surface and he is reaping the reward. Arnaldi, meanwhile, scored a stunning upset, beating Spain’s Jaume Munar in straight sets to extend his winning streak to eight matches. The 22-year-old was clean as a whistle, crushing his ground strokes from the baseline, and made numerous net approaches successfully. He’ll need to employ similar tactics here given how good Evans is at neutralizing pace. Nonetheless, Arnaldi’s affinity on this surface gives him the favorite tag.
Prediction: Arnaldi in 3
Jannik Sinner vs Diego Schwartzman
Head-to-head: Sinner 2-0 Schwartzman
Last week, Sinner and Schwartzman didn’t get to finish their match in Monte Carlo with the latter retiring due to a shoulder injury. Before then, it was Sinner in full flight as the young Italian threw Schwartzman off his game. It’s a new week and Schwartzman is healthy this time, but there shouldn’t be any change in the outcome.
Prediction: Sinner in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
