Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are on a collision course for what would be a rare quarterfinal head-to-head contest at a 500-point event. They first have to get past Roberto Carballes Baena and Martin Klizan, respectively, on Wednesday.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. Roberto Carballes Baena
It is safe to say that Carballes Baena is not catching Nadal at a good time for his first-ever shot at his heavily-favored fellow Spaniard. On a hard court or grass when Nadal is less than 100 percent would be ideal, but the opposite will be true for Wednesday’s battle at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell: the world No. 1 is perfectly healthy and also playing on clay. He has bounced back from a hip injury with a perfect 7-0 record on the slow stuff this season, including 16-0 in total sets. Nadal destroyed everything in his path en route to an 11th Monte-Carlo title last week and he will be looking to accomplish the same feat in Barcelona.
It has already been a breakout 2018 campaign for Carballes Baena, mostly thanks to his first career ATP title on the red clay of Quito–where he beat a red-hot Nicolas Jarry and also world No. 21 Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the final. The 25-year-old, who is currently five spots off his career-high ranking at 77th in the world, has already won seven ATP-level matches this season after previously winning 12 in his entire time on the professional circuit. Carballes Baena maintained his fine form with a 6-2, 6-4 rout of Andreas Haider-Maurer on Tuesday. But this occasion–and certainly this opponent–will likely be way too big for the underdog.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 3-4 games
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(Q) Martin Klizan vs. (6) Novak Djokovic
Djokovic and Klizan will be going head-to-head for the fifth time in their careers on Tuesday. All four of their previous encounters have gone the way of Djokovic, who is 8-1 in total sets against the Slovak. The two veterans have never faced each other on clay, but they squared off on two different surfaces in 2017; Djokovic prevailed 6-3, 7-6(4) on the hard courts of Acapulco before getting a second-set retirement from Klizan at Wimbledon.
The 12th-ranked Serb appears to be heating up just in time to make a run at a second French Open title–or perhaps saying “just in time to save his season” would be more accurate, given that it looks like everyone other than Nadal is playing for second place on clay. Djokovic has been plagued by injuries throughout the last 10 months, but he looked much better in Monte-Carlo with wins over Dusan Lajovic and Borna Coric prior to a three-set loss at the hands of Dominic Thiem. Due to physical problems of his own, Klizan is toiling away at No. 140 in the rankings. The 28-year-old has at least managed to turn in an already productive week in Barcelona, with successful qualification for the main draw followed by a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4 defeat of Federico Delbonis on Tuesday. A quick turnaround to face Djokovic following a two-hour and 56-minute contest is not a recipe for success.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
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