The remaining Spaniards in Barcelona are all compressed in the top quarter of the draw, where Carlos Alcaraz is facing Roberto Bautista Agut on Thursday. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is battling Emil Ruusuvuori for a place in the quarterfinals.
(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. (13) Roberto Bautista Agut
Alcaraz and Bautista Agut will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they clash in round three of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Thursday. Their only previous encounter came last spring at the Indian Wells Masters, where Alcaraz cruised 6-2, 6-0. Speaking of beatdowns, the top seed kicked off his Barcelona campaign by destroying Nuno Borges 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday.
Whereas Alcaraz is 19-2 on the season, Bautista Agut is a disappointing 10-10. The 25th-ranked Spaniard lost his opening match in both Indian Wells and Miami to Emil Ruusuvuori before winning just one match combined in Estoril and Monte-Carlo. Bautista Agut did well to beat Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-2, 6-2 in his Barcelona opener, but Alcaraz is obviously a whole different beast.
Pick: Alcaraz in 2
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(10) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Emil Ruusuvuori
It’s hard to believe that Ruusuvuori still finds himself in the Barcelona draw considering what happened in round two. The 40th-ranked Finn trailed Frances Tiafoe by a double-break in the second set, fell behind by a break and was one point away at 15-40 and 30-40 from going down two breaks in the third, but stormed back for a 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4 victory. He preceded that result with a much more straightforward 6-0, 6-3 defeat of Alexander Bublik.
Up next for Ruusuvuori on Thursday is Davidovich Fokina, who won their only previous main-tour meeting 7-5, 6-4 on the indoor hard courts of Cologne in 2020. The overall head-to-head series is tied up at 1-1, as Ruusuvuori got the job done 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinals of the 2019 Mallorca Challenger (hard courts). Davidovich Fokina, who opened in Barcelona with an impressive 6-3, 6-3 win over Tomas Martin Etcheverry, is in superior form, has the surface advantage on clay, and will be playing in from of the home crowd.
Pick: Davidovich Fokina in 2
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Caraz looking good so far