A couple of quarter-final picks to get into from Barcelona today, with clear skies and temperatures around 15°C making for ideal conditions out on the clay. Both matches have something interesting going on, so let's get into it.
Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell Predictions
Arthur Fils vs Lorenzo Musetti
Head-to-head: Fils 1-1 Musetti
The head-to-head is perfectly split, but context matters here. Musetti is ranked fifth in the world right now and has become genuinely dangerous on clay, with that one-handed backhand and heavy topspin giving him a real advantage in slow conditions like these. Fils has been an exciting player to watch this season, but he can be streaky and inconsistent and Barcelona's heavy clay is not where his flat ball-striking does the most damage.
Musetti is the better clay-court player and the better player full stop at this stage of their careers, and I think he finds a way to grind this one out even if Fils makes it uncomfortable for a set. Expect a tight match that goes the distance.
Prediction: Musetti in 3
Cameron Norrie vs Rafael Jodar
Head-to-head: Norrie 0-1 Jodar
Norrie being 0-1 down in the head-to-head against a player ranked 57th is the kind of stat that tells you something, and it's not flattering. Norrie has been going through a difficult stretch and hasn't looked like himself on clay this season, and Jodar is a Spanish player on a Spanish clay court in front of a home crowd, which counts for a lot.
Jodar winning that previous meeting, which came on clay, means the mental edge is his, and Norrie just hasn't given us enough recently to back him against a motivated home player in this spot. That said, hard to see this being competitive at all. Jodar takes it.
Prediction: Jodar in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Xavi Urgeles/ZUMA Press Wire