ATP Barcelona 1/32-Finals
Evans – Nakashima: 15.04.2024 11:00 CEST
H2H: 1-1
Dan Evans lost 9 out of his last 11 matches. He is still trying to find his best form. This will be a tough part of the season for him. He is out of form and now has to play on his least favorite surface, clay. He has played only two clay court matches this season and lost both of them in straight sets. The last match he played was in Monte Carlo, where he lost against Ofner in straight sets. However, he played a solid tournament last year, here in Barcelona. He reached the semifinal, where he lost against Alcaraz in straight sets.
Brandon Nakashima won four out of the last six matches he played. The clay court is also his least favorite surface, so it will be interesting to see how he will adapt to it. Nakashima played two weeks ago in Houston. He reached the quarterfinal there and lost against Shelton in straight sets. It was played on a clay court surface that you can not compare to the European clay courts. He needs wins in order to stay in the top 100. ‘
Best Bet to Make
According to the bookies, Nakashima is the favorite in this matchup. We have to agree with that, as he showed us way more than Evans this season. Both players do not love to play on the clay, but Nakashima is currently a better player and that is why he is our pick.
That being said, Nakashima winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Nakashima winning @1.53 @bet365
Safiullin – Bautista-Agut: 15.04.2024 12:30 CEST
H2H: 1-0
Roman Safiullin has lost 9 out of his last 12 matches. He had a very poor performance in his last match where he played against Djokovic. Safiullin lost 6-1 6-2 and showed absolutely nothing. Being a Russian, Safiullin played most of his career on the fast indoor hard courts. He never had any success on the clay courts, and we believe that it will stay the same.
Bautista-Agut has won three out of his last five matches. He has played 6 matches on clay this season so far and has won 4 of them. The clay court part of the season is his favorite one, and he loves to play at home as well. Last week, Bautista-Agut made it to the 1/16-Finals in Monte Carlo. He lost there in two tight sets against Hurkacz. It was overall a solid performance from the Spaniard, and we expect him to do well here in the first round. Last year in Barcelona, Bautista-Agut destroyed Zapata Miralles in the first round.
Best Bet to Make
Bautista-Agut is a great clay court player. He will play at home and is a big favorite in this matchup. We believe that Agut will force Safiullin to make many unforced errors. Agut is a great defensive player, and he should be able to defend and counter-attack well against Safiullin.
That being said, Bautista-Agut winning is a value bet.
Value bet/ the best odds: Bautista Agut winning @1.50 @bet365
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
