Barcelona R2 previews and picks: Nishikori vs. Bautista Agut, Granollers vs. Thiem

Kei Nishikori may have his hands full in his Barcelona opener against Roberto Bautista Agut on the other side of the net on Tuesday. Marcel Granollers and Dominic Thiem are also in second-round action.

According to online sportsbook sites listed on TopBettingReviews.com, the most competitive match of the day at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell is expected to be Andreas Seppi (a -120 favorite) vs. Carlos Berlocq (an even money underdog). Their head-to-head series is tied 1-1 after Berlocq won a Davis Cup match in Argentina earlier this year in four sets.

Two other intriguing Tuesday matches:

Roberto Bautista Agut vs. (4) Kei Nishikori

Nishikori and Bautista Agut will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in the Barcelona second round on Tuesday. With an outstanding 17-4 record to his credit this season, Nishikori reached the Miami semifinals and beat Roger Federer in the process, but he withdrew due to a groin injury before facing Novak Djokovic.

Bautista Agut is a stellar 15-10 for his 2014 campaign and he has climbed to No. 45 in the world after registering as low as 73rd in mid-January. Highlights for the Spaniard include fourth-round showings at the Australian Open and in Indian Wells. He opened on Monday in Barcelona with a 6-1, 6-0 blowout of Lukasz Kubot. With this confidence, on this surface, and playing at home in Spain, Bautista Agut should have a great shot at an upset.

Pick: Bautista Agut in 3

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(Q) Dominic Thiem vs. (14) Marcel Granollers

Granollers and Thiem are also squaring off for the first time on Tuesday. Both men have reason to be confident in the early stages of the clay-court season. While Thiem has been in fine form the entire season, Granollers heated up earlier this month with a runner-up finish on the clay courts of Casablanca. Still, though, the 31st-ranked Spaniard is just 7-10 for the year and an additional cause for concern is that he struggled physically in a first-round Monte-Carlo loss to Grigor Dimitrov.

Thiem has arguably been the ATP’s No. 1 breakout star of 2014. The 20-year-old Austrian started the season at 139th in the world and he is now up to No. 80. He has been successful in six of seven qualifying attempts this year, including at the Australian Open (reached the second round), in Indian Wells (third round), and in Miami (second round). Thiem qualified in Barcelona then took out Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-4. His game is huge, but it would work better against Granollers on a faster surface. On clay, the No. 14 seed–if 100 percent–may have just enough veteran savvy and craftiness to get past the youngster.

Pick: Granollers in 3

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