Barcelona Open 2023 Day 2: Men's singles predictions ft. Carlos Alcaraz vs Nuno Borges

Modified Apr 17, 2023 15:57 GMT

Carlos Alcaraz will open his Barcelona campaign on Tuesday.

The second day of main draw action at the 2023 Barcelona Open on Tuesday will feature eight first-round and five second-round matches. Five seeds, three wildcards and two qualifiers will be in action.

On the opening day on Monday, the likes of Ben Shelton, Bernabe Zapata Miralles and Nicolas Jarry emerged victorious, respectively beating Mackenzie McDonald, Attila Balazs and Marco Trungelliti.

Without further ado, here's a look at how the following four matches in Barcelona could pan out:

#1 Round of 64: Fernando Verdasco vs Francesco Passaro

Wildcard Fernando Verdasco opens his Barcelona campaign against Italian Francesco Passaro.

The 244th-ranked Verdasco is winless in four matches this year, stumbling in the opening rounds in Dallas, Delray Beach, Doha and Houston. Meanwhile, World No. 125 Passaro is 1-2 on the season, with his only win on the ATP Tour in 2023 coming in Marrakech.

This is a first-time meeting, but the younger Passaro is expected to prevail, considering Verdasco's wretched start to the year.

Prediction: Passaro in three sets

#2 Round of 64: David Goffin vs Feliciano Lopez

David Goffin takes on Spanish wildcard Feliciano Lopez in his Barcelona opener on Tuesday.

The 99th-ranked Goffin is 4-6 on the season, while World No. 593 Lopez is 1-1, with that win coming at Acapulco. Goffin is 3-1 against the left-handed Lopez, including 1-0 on clay, so the Belgian should take this one.

Prediction: Goffin in three sets

#3 Round of 32: Carlos Alcaraz (Barcelona Open defending champion) vs Nuno Borges

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz opens his Barcelona Open campaign against Portugal's Nuno Borges.

The World No. 2 Alcaraz - returning to action after losing in the Miami semifinals - is an impressive 18-2 on the season. Meanwhile, the 79th-ranked Borges has won only thrice in nine matches in 2023.

This is a first-time matchup, but Alcaraz is expected to coast to a comfortable win.

Prediction: Alcaraz in straight sets

#4 Round of 32: Frances Tiafoe vs Emil Ruusuvuori

Fifth seed Frances Tiafoe opens his campaign at the ATP 500 event against Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori.

World No. 12 Tiafoe is 19-5 on the season, coming off a title win on the claycourts of Houston. Meanwhile, the 40th-ranked Ruusuvuori improved to 12-10 in 2023 following a straight-sets win over Alexander Bublik in his Barcelona Open opener.

Ruusuvuori took the pair's lone meeting in the Bastad quarterfinals last year, but Tiafoe, having won a title on clay this season already, is expected to take this one.

Prediction: Tiafoe in straight sets

Edited by Shyam Kamal