Nordea Open 2022: Sebastian Baez vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Nordea Open as Sebastian Baez takes on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round on Thursday, July 14th, 2022.

Will Sebastian Baez pick up his 24th win on clay this season? Or will Alejandro Davidovich Fokina find his best tennis to stop the high-flying Argentine? This should be an entertaining second-round match at the Nordea Open with plenty at stake.

Sebastian Baez made light work of Fabio Fognini after knocking out the Italian veteran in straight sets in his opening round. While the 6-3 6-4 win over the 2019 Monte Carlo champion came a bit as a shock to a few people, not many are surprised one bit given the kind of season Baez is having. In the last 18 months, the 21-year-old has taken his game to new levels and it was only fitting he managed to get his hands on his first ATP title in Estoril about two months ago. Baez stands a good chance of repeating those exploits at the Nordea Open but faces a difficult second round match against the unpredictable Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, for his part, has also enjoyed an excellent season on the clay courts. He famously reached the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters in April before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas. That run of form completely came out of the blue. Since then, the Spaniard has succeeded to win back-to-back matches just once in his next seven tournaments. But that could change on Thursday if he can keep Sebastian Baez at bay at the Nordea Open.

Sebastian Baez and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina have not played each other on the ATP Tour. Thursday’s match will be their first official meeting at tour level. Baez has since usurped Davidovich Fokina in the world rankings and sits two spots ahead at 34th. The Argentine Next Gen star is playing some of the best tennis of his career, and I see no reason why he cannot keep it up for another round at the Nordea Open.