Monte-Carlo R2 previews and predictions: Zverev vs. Bautista Agut, Dimitrov vs. Lehecka

Alexander Zverev and Roberto Bautista Agut are set for a second-round showdown as part of a jam-packed schedule in Monte-Carlo on Wednesday. Grigor Dimitrov and Jiri Lehecka are also taking the court.

Roberto Bautista Agut vs. (13) Alexander Zverev

Zverev and Bautista Agut will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers and for the first time since 2018 when they battle for a spot in round three of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday. Four wins in a row have given Zverev a 4-2 lead in the head-to-head series, and it’s a stretch that includes a 7-5, 7-5 clay-court victory at the 2017 Munich event.

Although you might think that Bautista Agut would be excellent on clay since he hails from Spain, the 34-year-old is actually better on hard courts and grass and would rather face Zverev on those surfaces. The German is stellar on clay; he has won three such Masters 1000 titles and also advanced to the French Open semifinals last spring before getting injured against Rafael Nadal. Zverev is finally healthy again and starting to pick up some momentum. Bautista Agut is never an easy out, but Zverev should have the edge in this one.

Pick: Zverev in 3

Grigor Dimitrov vs. Jiri Lehecka

Lehecka has been one of the breakthrough stars on the ATP Tour in 2023 (along with Ben Shelton, whom Dimitrov defeated in the Monte-Carlo first round). The 21-year-old Czech’s 15 ATP-level match wins include a quarterfinal run at the Australian Open and a semifinal showing in Doha. He kicked off his Monte-Carlo campaign on Tuesday by beating Emil Ruusuvuori 6-1, 7-5.

Wednesday marks the third career meeting between Lehecka and Dimitrov. After Dimitrov prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 at the 2022 Aussie Open, Lehecka got the job done 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(5) during the fall indoor swing in Stockholm. The 31-year-old Bulgarian has been decent but unspectacular so far this season and he is solid but nothing special on clay. His three-set defeat of Shelton on Tuesday wasn’t particularly encouraging, and on this surface Lehecka represents a big step up in competition.

Pick: Lehecka in 3