TennisSection previews the 2022 Barcelona Open as Casper Ruud takes on Brandon Nakashima in the second round on Tuesday, April 19th, 2022.
Casper Ruud is a man famed for his clay court prowess particularly at low-key events. He begins his 2022 Barcelona Open campaign against Brandon Nakashima. The gulf in class between these two players is substantial, and the onus is on the Norwegian to pick up the win.
Casper Ruud suffered a shock Round of 16 defeat to Grigor Dimitrov at the Monte Carlo Masters. It was a reality check for the man from Oslo, whose start of the European clay-court swing did not go to plan. But that loss at the Principality does not tarnish what has been an otherwise superb season for Ruud. Despite the fact that he missed the Australian Open through injury, he has managed to reach two tour-level finals in four tournaments so far. He walked away with the Buenos Aires title in February, and finished runner-up at the Miami Open. The 23-year-old is set to make just his second main draw appearance at the Barcelona Open.
Brandon Nakashima was in action in the first round of the Barcelona Open. The American World No. 81 took down Spnaish qualifier and fellow 20-year-old Nicolas Alvarez Varona in straight sets. In a match that featured 10 breaks of serve, it was Nakashima who had the upper hand at the most important points, breaking the young Spaniard six times and crucially taking the first set tiebreak. Remarkably, that was Nakashima’s first main draw win at tour-level on clay.
Casper Ruud and Brandon Nakashima have not played each other on the ATP Tour. Tuesday’s match at the Barcelona Open will be their first official meeting. Ruud is vastly experienced at this stage and on this surface. Nakashima possesses a solid baseline game, but found life difficult making the transition to clay in his first match against Alvarez Varona. The Norwegian should be able to account for the young American in a comfortable opener.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets.
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