A blockbuster battle between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Lorenzo Musetti headlines Wednesday’s second-round schedule in Barcelona. Meanwhile, clay-court specialist Cristian Garin kicks off his week against Kei Nishikori.
(WC) Lorenzo Musetti vs. (11) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Auger-Aliassime and Musetti will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round two of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Wednesday. Musetti, 19, earned his eighth main-tour match victory of the season when he defeated 39-year-old Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday. The Italian is in fine form, but at his young age he is understandably inconsistent. Musetti lost to world No. 45 Marin Cilic in Miami and to world No. 57 Laslo Djere in Cagliari, and he wasn’t competitive against Aslan Karatsev in the Monte-Carlo first round.
Newly coached by Toni Nadal, in addition to his already existing team, Auger-Aliassime got a tough draw at last week’s Masters 1000 event and fell right away to Cristian Garin. Still, the 20th-ranked Canadian is a decent 10-6 in 2021 and he has proven in the past that he is quite capable on clay (two ATP finals, including at the 500-point even in Rio de Janeiro two years ago). In what should be an entertaining, high-quality encounter, Auger-Aliassime’s experience and fitness may be the difference in the end.
Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 3
Kei Nishikori vs. (13) Cristian Garin
Wins have not been easy to come by for Nishikori in recent seasons, and it certainly wasn’t easy for him on Monday. Despite facing an ice-cold Guido Pella, Nishikori needed two hours and 39 minutes to prevail 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2. The 31-year-old from Japan is now an even 7-7 for his 2021 campaign, which includes quarterfinal performances in Rotterdam and Dubai.
Up next for Nishikori is a second career contest against Garin, who dominated their only previous meeting 6-0, 6-3 last fall on the red clay of Hamburg. As that result suggests, Garin is an absolute master on the slow stuff. All six of his ATP final appearances have come on clay, including five titles. The 22nd-ranked Chilean is coming off a third-round showing in Monte-Carlo, where he succumbed to eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas. On this surface, it’s hard to see Nishikori being especially competitive.
Pick: Garin in 2
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