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Casper Ruud lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Monte Carlo final last week, but it was still a week of firsts for the Norwegian: his first ATP 1000 final on clay and his first win over the World No. 1. He’ll try to keep that form going at ATP Barcelona as he takes on Alexandre Muller in the second round. Who do you think will prevail?

ATP Barcelona Day 3 Predictions

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Tomas Machac

Head-to-head: First meeting

Great shotmaking is pretty much ensured with this matchup, as both players are among the most entertaining to watch on tour. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina withdrew from Estoril with a tooth infection and only won three games against Sebastian Korda in Monte Carlo. He’ll need to be a lot sharper here, and while Tomas Machac will likely have the least success on clay when it comes to his surface breakdown on the main tour, he already has one match under his belt here (and a very solid win at that) definitely helps.

Prediction: Machac in 3