Madrid R1 previews and predictions: Bautista Agut vs. Ferrer, Coric vs. Pouille

David Ferrer will begin the final tournament of his career when he faces fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut on Tuesday in Madrid. Another tough first-rounder pits Borna Coric against recent Challenger winner Lucas Pouille.

(WC) David Ferrer vs. Roberto Bautista Agut

Bautista Agut and Ferrer will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the first time outside of a Grand Slam when they clash in round one of the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday afternoon. Ferrer leads the head-to-head series 2-1, having prevailed twice in 2013 (Wimbledon, U.S. Open) before Bautista Agut scored a 7-5, 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 6-4 victory at the 2017 U.S. Open. This could be the last match of Ferrer’s career, as he is retiring in Madrid. However, he is still a formidable competitor; the 37-year-old has advanced at least one round in all five of his events this season and is coming off consecutive third-round performances in Miami and Barcelona.

With an outstanding 17-6 record in 2019, Bautista Agut registers at No. 21 in the world. The Spaniard is not quite as on fire right now as he was in January, February, and March, with a second-round exit from Monte-Carlo and a semifinal loss last week in Munich to Matteo Berrettini. An inspired Ferrer will have the crowd behind him and based on the way he is playing a minor upset is not too much to ask.

Pick: Ferrer in 3

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(13) Borna Coric vs. Lucas Pouille

Heading into the first round at the Madrid Masters, Pouille is saddled with a losing record at the ATP level this season (5-7) that has him down at No. 28 in the world. As such, the 25-year-old Frenchman went back to the Challenger circuit last week and promptly captured a title Bordeaux. Still, Pouille did not beat anyone inside the top 100 and he has lost his opening match at six of seven main-tour tournaments in 2019.

Up first for Pouille on Tuesday is a fourth career contest against Coric, who leads the head-to-head series 2-1. All three of their previous meetings have come on hard courts, with Coric getting the job done in 2016 (Indian Wells) and 2018 (Vienna) before Pouille prevailed earlier this year via a 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(2) decision to improbably reach the Australian Open quarterfinals. But it is the 15th-ranked Croat who has a clear edge in form at the moment, enjoying trips to the quarterfinals of three straight events–including Masters 1000s in Miami and Monte-Carlo. With Pouille also making a quick turnaround following his Bordeaux success, Coric should roll.

Pick: Coric in 2

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