Barcelona Open 2024 Day 4: Men's singles predictions ft. Casper Ruud vs Jordan Thompson

Players will fight for a spot in the quarterfinals on Day 4 of the 2024 Barcelona Open.

Rafael Nadal's comeback came to an end in the second round as he lost 7-5, 6-1 to World No. 11 Alex de Minaur. It marked his fifth defeat in 17 appearances at the venue.

Ugo Humbert, Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Lorenzo Musetti were the other well-known names to exit in the second round. All three lost to lower-ranked opponents in straight sets.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and de Minaur now remain the favorites to win the title. The trio will take to the court on Thursday, along with the rest of the field. Here's a look at the predictions for a few key matches set for Day 4 of the Barcelona Open:

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#1 - Casper Ruud vs Jordan Thompson

Ruud defeated Alexandre Muller 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Barcelona Open. It was his 25th win of the season. He is on track to better his record from last year during which the Norwegian tallied 36 victories.

While Ruud had an easier time in the last round, Thompson needed over three hours to defeat Jaume Munar 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. He improved his yearly record to 17-9 with his latest win.

Ruud and Thompson have faced off four times prior to this, with the head-to-head being tied at 2-2. The former won their first couple of matches, while the latter won their last two.

Thompson recently defeated Ruud to claim his maiden ATP title at the Los Cabos Open in February. However, the latter is a different beast on clay. He has also made it at least to the quarterfinals of his last seven tournaments on the surface. The Norwegian will be favored to continue his journey here.

Predicted winner: Casper Ruud

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#2 - Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Roberto Carballes Baena

Stefanos Tsitsipas is the fifth seed at the 2024 Barcelona Open.

Fresh off a title at the Monte-Carlo Masters, Tsitsipas continued his winning ways to reach the third round of the Barcelona Open. He faced Sebastian Ofner in the previous round and handed him a 6-4, 7-5 loss to advance further. He also extended his unbeaten run to seven matches.

Carballes Baena knocked out Hugo Grenier in the first round and followed it up with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over Musetti. He and Tsitsipas have crossed paths twice so far, and the latter has emerged victorious on both occasions.

Both of their previous matches have been on clay and their most recent duel took place at last year's French Open, which Tsitsipas won in straight sets. Given the Greek's current form, he's quite likely to maintain his supremacy in this rivalry.

Predicted winner: Stefanos Tsitsipas

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#3 - Alex de Minaur vs Arthur Fils

As mentioned earlier, de Minaur ousted Nadal to make it to the third round of the Barcelona Open. He also became one of the few players to defeat the Spaniard and Novak Djokovic in the same season.

Fils moved into the third round here after a 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 win over Daniel Altmaier. It has been a disappointing clay swing for the Frenchman as he hasn't won back-to-back matches on the surface this year.

However, it seems like a long shot for Fils to break that trend here. De Minaur has been one of the most in-form players this season and has a 23-7 record for the year. Given the disparity in their results, the Australian has the upper hand in this match-up.

Predicted winner: Alex de Minaur

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#4 - Cameron Norrie vs Roberto Bautista Agut

Cameron Norrie is the 12th seed at the 2024 Barcelona Open.

Norrie was locked in a heated battle with Harold Mayot in the second round here. The two split the first two sets to level the match but the latter was forced to call it quits at the start of the third set due to an injury.

Bautista Agut downed Roman Safiullin in straight sets to begin his campaign here. He then staged a comeback to defeat Andrea Vavassori 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 and reach the third round of the Barcelona Open for the sixth time.

Norrie leads Bautista Agut 2-0 in the head-to-head. Their most recent encounter happened three years ago at the 2021 Indian Wells Masters, which the Brit won in three sets en route to the title.

Norrie hasn't been at his best this year, though he did reach a semifinal on clay at the Rio Open in February. Bautista Agut could put him through the wringer but the Brit could manage to escape given his history against the Spaniard.

Pick: Cameron Norrie