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Fixture: (1) Carlos Alcaraz vs (13) Roberto Bautista Agut
Tournament: Barcelona Open 2023
Date: Thursday, April 20
Round: Third Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Real Club de Tenis Barcelona, Spain
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €2,772,480
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Carlos Alcaraz vs Roberto Bautista Agut preview
Top seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz takes on Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the third round of the Barcelona Open.
The World No. 2 opened his title defense with a straight-sets win over Nuno Borges. He has won 19 of his 21 matches this season. Alcaraz missed the Monte-Carlo Masters last week after injuring his hand and spine at the Sunshine Double.
Alcaraz won his first title of the season at the Argentina Open before losing to Cameron Norrie in the Rio de Janeiro title match. The Spanish teenager returned to winning ways at Indian Wells, where he won his third Masters 1000 title. However, a Sunshine Double wasn't to be, as the defending champion lost to Jannik Sinner in the last four in Miami.
Alcaraz has lost only one of his seven matches at Barcelona, winning the title last year.
Meanwhile, 25th-ranked Bautista Agut improved to 10-10 on the season after beating compatriot Bernabe Zapata Miralles in his opener. After reaching the Adelaide 2 final, the Spaniard made the Australian Open fourth round but has had underwhelming returns since then.
Bautista Agut's four-match losing streak ended at Monte-Carlo, but he exited in the second round after losing to Alexander Zverev. He's now back to winning ways in Barcelona, where he has a 8-6 record.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Roberto Bautista Agut head-to-head
Alcaraz won their lone meeting at Indian Wells last year. The pair will meet on clay for the first time.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Roberto Bautista Agut odds
(All odds as per BETMGM)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Roberto Bautista Agut prediction
Both Alcaraz and Bautista Agut like to dominate opponents from the back of the court, but the similarities in their games end there.
Alcaraz is widely regarded as one of the most talented youngsters in the sport. The Spaniard can serve and hit big, is an elite mover and has a penchant for firing winners from seemingly inconceivable angles. Bautista Agut, by contrast, is a steady, if not spectacular, player with more modest weapons.
Alcaraz has won five titles on the red dirt, where he's three wins shy of 50 wins. Meanwhile, Bautista Agut is 92-64 on the surface, but his recent form doesn't augur much confidence.
Both players are coming off convincing wins in their openers, though, dropping just four games. However, the younger Spaniard should take this one, considering his dominating win over Bautista Agut in their lone meeting.
Pick: Alcaraz in straight sets
