Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has home-court advantage in Barcelona but faces a tough opening test in the form of Tomas Machac on Wednesday. Lorenzo Musetti and Roberto Carballes Baena are also hoping for a place in the round of 16.
(11) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Tomas Machac
Davidovich Fokina and Machac will be squaring off for the first time in their careers when they meet in round two the Barcelona Open Banc Sabaell on Wednesday. Despite being ranked No. 50 in the world, it feels like only a matter of time before Machac starts getting seeded at Grand Slams. The 23-year-old Czech is 11-6 on the main tour this season and 5-1 in his last six matches, a stretch that features a quarterfinal run in Miami and a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Jerry Shang on Tuesday.
The 2024 campaign has been more of a struggle for Davidovich Fokina. He still comes in at a respectable ranking of 27th, but the 24-year-old Spaniard’s record stands at a modest 8-8. His first clay-court appearance of the season was a disaster, as he lost right away in Monte-Carlo via a 6-1, 6-2 beatdown at the hands of Sebastian Korda. Even on clay and in Spain, Machac is simply the superior player right now.
Pick: Machac in 3
(10) Lorenzo Musetti vs. Roberto Carballes Baena
Musetti still has a losing record more than three months into the season, but things should be turning around for him on clay. The 24th-ranked Italian advanced two rounds last week in Monte-Carlo, beating Taylor Fritz and Arthur Fils in straight sets before falling to Novak Djokovic. That marked Musetti’s first-clay-court event of the season, but he would probably be wise to take his talents to the Golden Swing in future years. He spent this February on hard courts across Europe and the Middle East, winning a grand total of one match (over world No. 99 Maximilian Marterer) in four tournaments.
Up first for the 10th seed in Barcelona is Carballes Baena, and they will also be facing each other for the first time. Carballes Baena is outstanding on the slow stuff, as well, with 481 of his 543 professional match victories coming on this surface. The 72nd-ranked Spaniard kicked off his clay swing with a runner-up showing in Barcelona and he beat lucky loser Hugo Grenier on Tuesday. Carballes Baena generally takes care of lower-ranked opponents, which is why he can be a force at Challengers and ATP 250s. It’s usually a different story for him, however, against the best players in the sport. On clay, Musetti is one of those players.
Pick: Musetti in 2
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