R2 previews and predictions: Nadal vs. Almagro, Del Potro vs. Smith

Rafael Nadal will continue his Rio de Janeiro campaign against Nicolas Almagro on Thursday. Second-round action is also wrapping up in Delray Beach, where Juan Martin Del Potro hopes to pocket a second win in his comeback.

Rio Open: (1) Rafael Nadal vs. Nicolas Almagro

Nadal and Almagro will be facing each other for the 15th time in their careers when they battle for a quarterfinal spot at the Rio Open on Thursday. Unlike in last week’s situation, which saw Almagro upset fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the Buenos Aires semifinals after previously being 0-15 lifetime in the head-to-head series, he does own one–and only one–win over this heavily-favored countryman. Almagro toppled Nadal 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in the 2014 Barcelona quarters, but the underdog is just 1-13 overall in 14 tries against the 14-time major champion. Nadal has since defeated Almagro on three straight occasions in easy straight sets (all three in 2015, including twice on clay).

Both players are coming off third-set tiebreaker losses to Dominic Thiem in Buenos Aires. The 22-year-old Austrian saved one match point to stun Nadal 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4) in the semis before coming back from a break down in the decider to outlast Almagro 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(4). Of course, the two setbacks did not feel similar at all. For Nadal, it came on the heels of a first-round Australian Open loss to Fernando Verdasco; for Almagro, it marked his first ATP final since 2012. The world No. 53 got back in the win column by holding off Daniel Munoz De La Nava 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 on Tuesday in Rio, while Nadal rolled over Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1, 6-4. Nadal at least played decent against Carreno Busta and should be able to take advantage of an opponent who may be running on fumes.

Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 8 games or fewer

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Delray Beach Open: (Q) John-Patrick Smith vs. (WC) Juan Martin Del Potro

Del Potro will contest the second match of his comeback when he takes the court in Delray Beach on Thursday. His first appearance since last March could not have gone better, as the 27-year-old Argentine thumped Denis Kudla 6-1, 6-4 in exactly one hour. As expected, Del Potro looked extremely tentative on the backhand side–although he did hit a whole host of two-handers to go along with a fair share of one-handed slices. But he dominated with his serve and forehand while firing five aces, winning 24 of 26 first-serve points, and holding all nine of his service games without facing a single break point.

Up next for the 2009 U.S. Open champion is a first-ever meeting with Smith, for whom this has already been one of the best weeks of his professional career. The 135th-ranked Australian had to qualify just to get into the main draw (he beat both Andrey Rublev and Alejandro Falla in three sets) before upsetting Ivo Karlovic on Monday–also in three. It marked the fourth ATP-level, main-draw win of the 27-year-old’s career. A confident Smith will present a far tougher test than a Kudla who was nothing short of a disaster, but Del Potro was impressively solid in his 2016 debut and should be able to keep the comeback going.

Pick: Del Potro in 3

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