Barcelona R1 previews and predictions: Davidovich Fokina vs. Wawrinka, De Minaur vs. Etcheverry

The first round will wrap up in Barcelona on Tuesday, with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina taking on Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka. Fifth-seeded Alex de Minaur will also be in Tuesday action against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Stan Wawrinka

Stan Wawrinka is in the twilight of an impressive career. The Swiss won three majors, all during the height of the careers of the most prolific champions in the history of men’s tennis (Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer). His biggest wins came over Nadal once and Djokovic twice. But that was a decade ago and the veteran now sits at No. 162 in the world. He has one win this year in seven tournaments. His last title came all the way back in 2017.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is enjoying some of the best form of his career. At world No. 30, he’s still off his best-ever mark of 21st, but it’s still early in the season. Although he isn’t a traditional Spanish clay-courter, he showed what he was capable of last week in Monte-Carlo–reaching the semis before going down to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

This one should be cut and dry for the Spaniard. Wawrinka is a sentimental favorite, but ADF is just playing too well right now for an upset.

Cheryl pick: Davidovich Fokina in 2

Ricky pick: Davidovich Fokina in 2

(5) Alex de Minaur vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry

This is one of the better matches on Tuesday’s docket. Like Davidovich Fokina, de Minaur made the semifinals last week in Monte-Carlo. He doesn’t have any titles yet this season, but he frequently makes his way to the business end of tournaments. If he wants his first 2025 crown to be in Monte-Carlo, he’ll have to hit the ground running.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry has endured a poor season. He is an anemic 8-11 on the year and he bowed out of the Monte-Carlo Masters in the second round. Clay is his most successful surface, so while he’s gone off the boil, he’s still a tricky first-round opponent. The Argentine is currently ranked No. 46 in the world, with a career high of 27 just last year.

Look for De Minaur to continue on his winning ways for a while yet in Barcelona. He won’t want to peak thing long before the French Open, but he’s as fit as any player on tour and fatigue won’t be an issue at this point.

Cheryl pick: De Minaur in 2

Ricky pick: De Minaur in 2