A wet and cool Tuesday in Barcelona, with rain hanging over the Reial Club de Tenis and temperatures barely touching 16°C, so we might see some delays before it's all said and done. Three first-round matches on our radar today, and honestly there are some results here that could surprise people. Which players do you think come through?
Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell Predictions
Mariano Navone vs Andrey Rublev
Head-to-head: First meeting
Rublev has had a rough stretch lately, and coming into Barcelona without much rhythm or confidence makes this a genuinely tricky opener for him. Navone is exactly the kind of opponent you don't want when you're low on form: physical, consistent off both wings, and completely at home on clay. The Argentine won his first ATP title on this surface last year in Madrid, a tournament that tends to separate the real clay-court players from the pretenders, and has been a steady presence near the top of the clay-court rankings ever since.
The slow conditions in Barcelona should drag Rublev into exactly the kind of long, grinding rallies Navone thrives in, and I think that's enough to tip this one his way.
Prediction: Navone in 3
Arthur Fils vs Terence Atmane
Head-to-head: First meeting
Fils has the higher ranking and the bigger game, but Atmane is a fellow Frenchman who grew up on clay and has been playing well enough to earn a seeded spot here. These two know each other's games well from the French circuit, and that familiarity tends to level things out a bit. Fils's heavy topspin forehand should be a real weapon in these damp, slow conditions, though Atmane isn't going to roll over.
Fils gets through, but I feel like it goes the distance.
Prediction: Fils in 3
Camilo Ugo Carabelli vs Karen Khachanov
Head-to-head: First meeting
Khachanov is ranked higher, but clay has never been his best surface and he's coming in without any real form to speak of recently. That said, Ugo Carabelli has quietly become one of the more reliable clay-court players outside the top 50, and playing in Spain feels like home territory for him at this point.
Khachanov's flat ball-striking tends to lose its edge when conditions get heavy, and with rain in the air and slow courts, Hard to see this being competitive at all, and Carabelli should still find a way to get through here, all things considered.
Prediction: Carabelli in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Javier Borrego/AFP7 via ZUMA Press Wire