Barcelona R2 previews and predictions: Kohlschreiber vs. Carreno Busta, Lopez vs. Dodig

Fellow Spaniards Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez will be part of the second-round schedule on Wednesday in Barcelona. They are set for respective encounters with Philipp Kohlschreiber and Feliciano Lopez.

(10) Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Pablo Carreno Busta

Kohlschreiber and Carreno Busta will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they clash in round two of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Wednesday. Their only previous meeting came two years ago on the hard courts of Auckland, where Kohlschreiber prevailed 6-2, 3-6, 7-5. The 27th-ranked German has been his typically consistent self in 2016 and his February swing featured quarterfinal finishes in Sofia and Dubai in addition to a semifinal showing in Rotterdam. He has lost his opening match at just one of seven tournaments, and that was when he had to face Kei Nishikori in the first round of the Australian Open.

Carreno Busta opened in Barcelona by defeating Denis Istomin 7-5, 7-5 on Tuesday. The 49th-ranked Spaniard improved to 11-10 for the year and 10 of his 11 match victories have come on clay. Although Carreno Busta has home-court advantage, he is just 2-5 lifetime in Barcelona (2-4 in the main draw). The surface will help him make this one competitive, but a relatively in-form Kohlschreiber should be able to get the job done.

Pick: Kohlschreiber in 3

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Ivan Dodig vs. (7) Feliciano Lopez

Lopez and Dodig will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers on Wednesday. The head-to-head series is all even at 2-2, but Dodig has taken each of their previous clay-court showdowns–both in Barcelona. He prevailed 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the 2011 quarterfinals and 6-1, 6-4 during second-round action in 2014. Lopez scored a 7-6(3), 6-1 victory on the grass courts of Eastbourne in 2013 and he advanced via fifth-set retirement at the 2014 U.S. Open.

The Spaniard is still going strong at 34 years old, registering at 23rd in the rankings even though he is a modest 10-9 this season. Lopez recently advanced to the Houston semifinals before losing his Monte-Carlo opener to David Goffin. Dodig booked his spot in this matchup thanks to a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of qualifier Pedro Cachin on Tuesday. The 79th-ranked Croat has done by far his best work in doubles over the past few years and is just 3-5 at the ATP level in singles in 2016. As such, Lopez is likely to have a slight edge here even though he would rather face Dodig on a faster court.

Pick: Lopez in 3

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