The Barcelona Open is one of the most prestigious 500-level events on the men’s tour, especially for Spanish players. The defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, is not in the mix, giving other players a golden opportunity to lift the title. As always, we here at LWOT will offer our predictions for every match on the slate for day one. But who will advance?
ATP Barcelona Day 1 Predictions
Facundo Diaz Acosta vs Daniel Rincon
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Facundo Diaz Acosta has a positive win-loss record this year thanks to his first ATP title, which was in the clay courts of Buenos Aires. The Argentinian has progressed quite well in his first full season at the ATP level and would look to return to winning after a disappointing last week in Monte Carlo. 21-year-old wildcard Daniel Rincon is a Spanish player who plays most of his tennis at the challenger level. I can only see this match between two left-handed players, going the way of the Argentinian, who has a higher pedigree and experience at this level.
Prediction: Diaz Acosta in 2
Daniel Evans vs Brandon Nakashima
Head-to-Head: Evans 1-1 Nakashima
Daniel Evans has had a horrid year so far, with only three wins to his name. The Brit has not won consecutive matches this year, and that won’t be any easier to do on a clay court, which is his worst surface. Evans reached the semi-finals of this event last year, defeating some good players en route. Brandon Nakashima has fallen off the rankings after a promising 2022 season, where he won two titles. Nakashima has only played six main draw matches this year, but he did win a couple of clay court matches in Houston. This one is a tough pick to call as neither player thrives on clay, but seeing last year’s results in this event, Evans has the edge.
Prediction: Evans in 3
Roman Safiullin vs Roberto Bautista Agut
Head-to-Head: Safiullin 1-0 Bautista Agut
These two players played a brilliant match in their only meeting at Wimbledon 2023. Roman Safiullin won that match 7-5 in the fifth set. Safiullin showed last year that he can play at a very high level, with top 10 wins over Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, but he is still finding his form this year. Safiullin is making his first appearance at the ATP Barcelona Open. Roberto Batista Agut has been a solid player for a long time, but he is on the decline. The 36-year-old has been struggling to reach the latter stages of tournaments but has a winnable match in his first round. Bautista Agut showed a good level of tennis in Monte Carlo, and with the fans on his side, he should get the job done.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
