Basel Open 2022: Lorenzo Musetti vs. Albert Ramos Vinolas Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Basel Open as Lorenzo Musetti takes on Albert Ramos Vinolas in the first round on Wednesday, October 26th, 2022.

Fresh of a title win in Naples, Lorenzo Musetti will hope a title-hangover doesn’t accompany him at the Basel Open. The Italian Next Gen star opens up against an out-of-form Albert Ramos Vinolas in an innocuous first round. Who will prevail?

Lorenzo Musetti was in scintillating form at the recently-concluded Napoli Tennis Cup. He romped to win his second career title on home soil without dropping a set and defeated compatriot Matteo Berrettini in the final 7-6 6-2. Having already secured qualification for the Next Gen ATP Finals for the second year in a row, Musetti’s rise has seen him inch closer to break the top 20. He is already up to No. 23 and could have his eyes set on that accolade at the Basel Open and potentially surpass Berrettini in the future as Italy’s top-ranked player.

Albert Ramos Vinolas, meanwhile, is without a win in four matches. The Spanish left hander was beaten by Nuno Borges in the first round in Napoli as he slipped to his 29th defeat of the season. It is the most number of matches he has lost in a single campaign since 2019. Although he remains a top 50 mainstay, Ramos Vinolas has an appalling record on indoor hard courts. His last win on the surface was in 2018 and has tallied a modest 21 wins throughout his career.

Lorenzo Musetti and Albert Ramos Vinolas are tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head. Ramos Vinolas won their first meeting in 2021 at Indian Wells and Musetti got the better of him in Marrakech earlier this year. The Italian should have a lot more bite in his game to pick up his second win over the Spaniard at the Basel Open. Ramos Vinolas is harmless on this surface. The court conditions do not enable him to generate sufficient topspin on his forehand. And his record of zero wins indoors since 2018 makes for very grim reading.