Nadal vs. Paire preview and pick

Rafael Nadal will continued his bid for a third consecutive Barcelona title on Thursday. Standing in his way of the quarterfinals is Benoit Paire.

Nadal and Paire will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they collide in the third round of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Thursday afternoon.

Paire has already met one of the world’s best this season and it did not go well for him. In round one of the Australian Open, the Frenchman got clobbered by Roger Federer 6-2, 6-4, 6-1. Paire, however, has generally played well this year amidst bouts of inconsistency. He is 12-11 at the ATP level and up to a career-high ranking of No. 33 in the world. Paire, who finished runner-up in Montpellier, began his Barcelona campaign on Wednesday by holding off Pablo Andujar 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.

Nadal is looking to bounce back from a straight-set defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Monte-Carlo title match. Still, the fifth-ranked Spaniard has lost only two matches this year compared to 22 victories. He won his second tournament back from injury (Sau Paulo) and also triumphed in Acapulco and Indian Wells. Nadal, already a seven-time champion in Barcelona, opened with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Carlos Berlocq on Wednesday.

Just like his date with Federer, this will be nothing more than a great opportunity for Paire to showcase his incredible shot-making talent–not to mention his occasional bizarre behavior, as well. As for the underdog’s chances of actually winning the match, those are nonexistent–and he knows it…although he does seem excited for it.

Paire would have a chance of being competitive on a fast hard court, but he will not be able to have any success against Nadal in extended clay-court baseline rallies. This one won’t be short on entertainment, but it will be short in length.

Pick: Nadal 6-2, 6-2

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