Home favourite Carlos Alcaraz will be in action on the second day in Barcelona, electing to play just fresh from his Monte-Carlo triumph and will face rising star Ethan Quinn. Their encounter is part of a day littered with potential excitement, and we examine who is likely to remain at the party on the third day.
ATP Barcelona Day 3 Predictions
Sebastian Baez vs Damir Dzumhur
Head–to–Head: Baez 2 vs 0 Dzumhur
Sebastian Baez will feel let down by his performance at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He won the opening set against Tomas Machac but ultimately fell in three sets, exiting in the first round. The Argentinian has enjoyed a strong season on clay up to this point, securing a title at the Rio Open in February, reaching the finals at the Chile Open in early March, and making another final appearance in Bucharest at the beginning of this month.
Damir Dzumhur has entered the main draw as a lucky loser, having been defeated by Cameron Norrie in the final qualifying round for the tournament. This marks his first main draw match since his positive run at the Bucharest Open, where he advanced through the qualifiers and reached the semi-finals, eventually losing to the eventual champion Fabio Cobolli in straight sets.
Earlier this season, these two faced off for the first time, with Baez defeating Dzumhur in straight sets in the quarter-finals of the Chile Open. The Argentine is a formidable competitor on clay, and he should make it three consecutive wins over the Bosnian.
Prediction: Baez in 3
Alex De Minaur vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Head–to–Head: De Minaur 1 vs 1 Etcheverry
Tomas Etcheverry’s recent performances on clay have been quite disappointing, highlighted by a first-round exit at the Houston Open and a second-round loss in Monte-Carlo. He showed some resilience, but he narrowly lost the first-set tiebreak to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina before being defeated in straight sets.
He now faces the diminutive Australian, Alex de Minaur, who showed how good he can be on clay with remarkable wins over Daniil Medvedev and a double bagel of Grigor Dimitrov as he sailed to the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo.
The Australian narrowly missed reaching the final, falling in a third-set tiebreak to Lorenzo Musetti. However, as he heads into the Barcelona Open, he can draw tremendous confidence from his performance there.
Despite De Minaur’s form, he can’t afford to be complacent against a tidy performer on clay. He has more than enough in his arsenal to edge the Argentine.
Prediction: De Minaur in 3.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Ethan Quinn
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Carlos Alcaraz has chosen to compete at home in the Barcelona Open, beginning his campaign against Ethan Quinn in what will be their first meeting.
Alcaraz boasts a 10-2 record in this event, with only four of his 12 matches lasting more than two sets. Although he was sidelined from last year’s tournament due to injury, he now returns as the frontrunner to secure his third title at Barcelona.
Quinn went through the qualifying rounds, with two solid wins over more illustrious opponents, Borna Coric and Corentin Moutet. However, facing arguably the best player on clay is a different proposition entirely. On the main tour, Quinn has only advanced to the second round three times this year, winning just more than half of his ten matches on clay.
Carlos Alcaraz will arrive in Barcelona with meteoric confidence after recently winning the Monte Carlo Masters title, and he left as the champion the last time he participated.
Alcaraz is an exceptional clay court player who faces an opponent over 120 places below him. The world No.2 can get rattled early on, but he will rally to win.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
