Second-round action continues in Barcelona with top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in action being the definite highlight of the day. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match including Carlos Alcaraz vs Kwon Soon-woo and Alex de Minaur vs Ugo Humbert. Who do you think will win?
ATP Barcelona Day 3 Predictions
Marton Fucsovics vs Federico Delbonis
Head-to-head: Delbonis 1-0 Fucsovics
Mediocre season so far from Fucsovics, looking to get back-to-back wins for the first time since Doha in February. The Hungarian has never been past the second round in Barcelona but clay is his best surface and his opponent is certainly not unbeatable. Delbonis has been struggling since his semifinal run in Buenos Aires, where he likely ended Juan Martin Del Potro’s career. The 31-year-old has not won back-to-back matches since and has only ever won one main draw match in Barcelona in his career. Delbonis won their previous meeting in Geneva 2019 but I still see Fucsovics as a slight favorite here.
Prediction: Fucsovics in 3
Alexander Bublik vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Head-to-head: Ruusuvuori 1-0 Bublik
Bublik retired from his second-round match in Monte Carlo last week with a shoulder injury but we can assume he is fit as he played a full doubles match yesterday. Clay is the worst surface for the Kazakh but that is also the case for his opponent here. Ruusuvuori is making his debut here in Barcelona. The Finn was impressive early in the season, reaching his first ATP final in Pune and though clay is certainly not his forte, he was decent in Monte Carlo where he earned wins over Gianluca Mager, Flavio Cobolli, and Oscar Otte, making the second round out of qualifying. Though Bublik’s fitness may have some question marks around him, I still see him as a favorite due to his superior main tour experience on clay.
Prediction: Bublik in 2
Nikoloz Basilashvili vs Jaume Munar
Head-to-head: first meeting
Barcelona is where it all started for Munar, playing his first ATP tournament here back in 2015. The Spaniard didn’t have the best time last week in Monte Carlo but won a Challenger 125 in Marbella earlier this spring. Basilashvili is continuing his record of not winning a single match outside of Doha, where he reached the final. The 30-year-old also retired from his match against Grigor Dimitrov just last week in Monte Carlo, though he played a doubles match yesterday. Regardless of Basilashvili’s fitness, Munar will be a strong favorite for me.
Prediction: Munar in 2
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Ilya Ivashka
Head-to-head: Tsitsipas 1-0 Ivashka
Tsitsipas has a great chance to make a real statement entrance into the clay season with back-to-back titles after winning Monte Carlo last week and coming into Barcelona as the main favorite. The Greek impressed in Monaco as he took out Alexander Zverev and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to win the title. The 23-year-old comes into Barcelona with two previous finals here under his belt, losing both to Rafael Nadal who misses out through injury. His first hurdle will be Ivashka, who should not be too much of a threat on clay. The Belarusian did reach Munich semifinals last year but is not doing well this season. Tsitsipas already beat him this year in Rotterdam, a tournament where Ivashka would be more dangerous, so the Greek should advance easily.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 2
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