TennisSection previews the 2021 Barcelona Open as Alexander Bublik meets Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the First Round on Tuesday, April 20th 2021.
Will Alejandro Davidovich Fokina be able to recover from the injury which saw him retire in his Quarter-final match at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters last week? Will Alexander Bublik put on one of his superb performances which we are very used to seeing in the early rounds of tournaments? Both players will put on a show here for sure, but only one will make their way to the Second Round. Who will it be?
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina put on great performances all of last week at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters, beating the likes of Alex de Minaur, Matteo Berrettini, Lucas Pouille, and making his way to the Quarter-finals where he had to retire against Stefanos Tsitsipas with an injury. Alejandro put on his best performance in a Masters 1000 tournament here and I am very sure he will want to keep this momentum going, and that is why he retired in his match to ensure he could recover to come here at the 2021 Barcelona Open to be at his best. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina would have loved an easier first round draw, but he meets the very unorthodox Alexander Bublik and he will have to ensure he is at his highest level right from the start.
Alexander Bublik did not have a good start to his clay court season last week at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters, losing in the first round to Jeremy Chardy in 3 tight sets 4-6/6-0/5-7. Alexander Bublik knows that when he is in form he is so hard to beat, but he is not always able to flourish in these clay court conditions as he is more of a hard court and grass court player with one-ball strike tennis. Alexander Bublik is filled with talent, and perhaps he will be confident coming into this First Round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina as he knows his opponent might still be injured. Will Alexander Bublik be able to make his way to the Second Round?
Alexander Bublik and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina have never met before, with this being their first meeting on the ATP Tour. I expect for this to be a very tight match as both players can always hurt their opponents if they are at their best. However, assuming that Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is healthy and fully recovered, I expect the young Spaniard to come out here and get the job done. Alexander Bublik is not a strong clay courter and Fokina is. I think it will be a 3-setter as Bublik does not give up easy. But at the end of the day, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will make his way to the Second Round of the 2021 Barcelona Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in 3 Sets.
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