Rafael Nadal will be back in Rio de Janeiro action on Thursday for a second-round date with Pablo Carreno Busta. Fabio Fognini and Pablo Andujar are also trying to claim a spot in the quarterfinals.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
Playing his first match since an Australian Open quarterfinal loss to Tomas Berdych, Nadal kicked off his Rio Open campaign on Tuesday with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Thomaz Bellucci. The third-ranked Spaniard dropped serve twice in the opening set without saving a break point, but he raised his level in the second to finish the job in one hour and 31 minutes. Nadal is now 6-0 lifetime in Rio having won the inaugural event in 2014.
Up next for the top seed is a first-ever meeting with Carreno Busta on Thursday. The 55th-ranked Spaniard got his week started by holding off Carlos Berlocq 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-0. Carreno Busta is a mediocre 3-4 on the year and he is coming off an opening-round loss in Sao Paulo to Joao Souza. Unfortunately for the underdog, he does not have the necessary weapons to overpower Nadal–even though his two-handed backhand can be dangerous. With a decent match already under his belt, an increasingly comfortable Nadal should cruise into the quarters.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 5-7 games
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(4) Fabio Fognini vs. Pablo Andujar
Fognini and Andujar will be going head-to-head for the fifth time in their careers and for the third time at the ATP level. All four of their previous encounters (all on clay) have gone Fognini’s way and he has never lost a single set to Andujar. However, two of their meetings came on the Futures circuit back in 2005 and they have faced each other only once since 2009. Fognini most recently prevailed 6-4, 6-3 last year in Buenos Aires.
A much better opportunity should await Andujar on Thursday. The 50th-ranked Spaniard is off to a slow start this season, but he seems to play well in Rio. He reached the semifinals in 2014, lost to Nadal 12-10 in the third-set tiebreaker, and overcame Paolo Lorenzi 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 on Tuesday. A slumping Fognini, meanwhile, faced three match points in his opener against Jiri Vesely but stormed back for a 1-6, 7-6(7), 6-1 win. Although it was an impressive fightback by the 28th-ranked Italian, he needed some significant help from Vesely.
Pick: Andujar in 3
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