Jannik Sinner kicks off his 2023 Barcelona campaign against Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman on Wednesday. Second-round action also features a matchup between Alex de Minaur and Alexander Shevchenko.
(4) Jannik Sinner vs. Diego Schwartzman
Struggling Argentine Diego Schwartzman is likely not all that excited to see Wednesday opponent Jannik Sinner in his path. The two men met just last week in the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters. Sinner went up 6-0, 3-1 before Schwartzman retired with a shoulder injury. Sinner advanced to the semifinals, where he lost a heartbreaker to Denmark’s Holger Rune.
Sinner has been one of the in-form players of 2023. The Italian won the event in Montpellier for his single title this season, but he is an impressive 24-6 this year. He was a finalist in Rotterdam and Miami, edging ever closer to the first big title of his career.
Schwartzman is not likely to be a deterrent in Barcelona, as the world No. 48 has not managed to win two matches in a row the entire season. It’s good news for him that he got a first-round win over Yibing Wu of China, but Sinner should make short work of this second-round match–despite what may be some match fatigue for the Italian.
Cheryl pick: Sinner in 2
Ricky pick: Sinner in 2
(8) Alex de Minaur vs. Alexander Shevchenko
This one of those matches in which the ranking does not tell the entire story. Australia’s Alex de Minaur is the world No. 19. He has a 500-level title this year from his run in Acapulco in February and he was seeded high enough in Barcelona to earn a first round bye. His opponent is Russia’s Alexander Shevchenko, ranked 98th with a 1-1 lifetime record at the ATP level–which includes his first-round win this week over qualifier Lorenzo Guistino. And yet, De Minaur is in serious danger of an upset.
Shevchenko is actually on a hot streak. He had a Challenger event title in Madrid just last week and his No. 98 ranking is a career high for the Russian. De Minaur, by contrast, is in a cold spell–freezing, in facr. He has played three tournaments since Acapulco and has won exactly one match. De Minaur is not an accomplished clay-court player; this is by far his least successful surface, although he made semis at this very event last year (lost a cracker of a match to Carlos Alcaraz).
The Russian is going to have a chance in this one, but fatigue from his recent run in the Madrid Challenger may become a factor against a player as fit as De Minaur is. The good news for the Aussie is that this tournament represents his best result on the dirt. Look for De Minaur to pull it out in a close one.
Cheryl pick: De Minaur in 3
Ricky pick: Shevchenko in 3
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