RAFAEL RAFA NADAL IN ACTION IN BARCELONA, DAVID FERRER RETURNS FROM INJURY BY RICKY DIMON FOR 10SBALLS

Written by: Staff on 17th April 2016

RAFAEL RAFA NADAL IN ACTION IN BARCELONA, DAVID FERRER RETURNS FROM INJURY BY RICKY DIMON FOR 10SBALLS

epa05264265 Rafael Nadal of Spain poses with his trophy after beating Gael Monfils of France in the final match of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tournament in Roquebrune Cap Martin, France, 17 April 2016. EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER |

Fresh off his first Monte-Carlo title since 2012, Rafael Nadal will be right back in action this week in Barcelona. He is looking to lift the trophy for the ninth time in his career, just as he did on Sunday in Monte-Carlo. A strong field also features Kei Nishikori, David Ferrer, and Richard Gasquet. In Bucharest, meanwhile, Bernard Tomic and defending champion Guillermo Garcia-Lopez may be in the mix.

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell

Nadal, who last triumphed in Barcelona three years ago, should have no trouble in the early rounds. Five of the six players in the top eighth of the bracket are Spaniards and the other is Nadal’s good friend Joao Sousa. Nadal awaits either Daniel Munoz de la Nava or Monte-Carlo quarterfinalist Marcel Granollers in the second round. The world No. 5’s path to the title match may also include Fabio Fognini in the quarters and Ferrer in the semis. Both Fognini and Ferrer, however, have been short on confidence and high on injuries.

Nishikori, whose nearest seed is Jeremy Chardy, finds himself with a similar draw to that of Nadal. The Japanese star may not run into serious difficulty until the last eight against either Roberto Bautista Agut or Alexandr Dolgopolov. Gasquet, on the other hand, faces a potentially taxing road. His first two opponents could be teenagers (Hyeon Chung and Alexander Zverev) prior to a possible quarterfinal tilt against an in-form Pablo Cuevas. Zverev is likely to face Thomaz Bellucci in the second round.

Semifinal predictions: Nadal over Kohlschreiber and Cuevas over Nishikori

Final: Nadal over Cuevas

BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy

A particularly intriguing top half of the draw features Tomic, Garcia-Lopez, Guido Pella, Lukas Rosol, and Robin Haase. Garcia-Lopez is the defending champion of this event and Haase has captured each of his two career ATP titles at 250s on clay (in Kitzbuhel). Tomic, who is competing on clay for just the second time in 2016, could open with the Dutchman before possibly facing Paul-Henri Mathieu in the quarterfinals. Garcia-Lopez awaits either Rosol or Kyle Edmund in the second round. The Spaniard and the Czech have gone head-to-head five times–including twice in Bucharest–and it is safe to say there is no love lost between the two.

In a wide open bottom half of the draw, Marrakech champion Federico Delbonis and a red-hot Lucas Pouille are most likely to take advantage. Due to a knee injury, No. 2 seed Ivo Karlovic has not won a single match this season (0-5). Fifth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis double-bageled Diego Schwartzman in Houston earlier this month, but he got clobbered by Jack Sock in the quarters and generally does much better work on hard courts.

Schwartzman, himself, is in this half of the draw and is in line for a difficult opening-round battle with Paolo Lorenzi. Although Lorenzi has been stellar this year while Schwartzman has struggled, the head-to-head series suggests a competitive contest could be in store. Lorenzi holds a 2-1 edge (one Challenger victory included), but each of his victories has come in final sets (including two months ago in Buenos Aires). Schwartzman beat the Italian 7-5, 6-4 last season in Sao Paulo.

Semifinal predictions: Garcia-Lopez over Tomic and Delbonis over Pouille

Final: Garcia-Lopez over Delbonis

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Rafael Nadal of Spain (L) poses with his trophy next to Prince Albert of Monaco (L) and Princess Charlene (C) after winning the final match of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tournament in Roquebrune Cap Martin, France, 17 April 2016. EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER

Topics: 10sballs.com, Atp World Tour, Barcelona Open, BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy, Monte Carlo, Rafa Nadal, Ricky Dimon, Tennis News

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KenPecus says:

April 17, 2016 at 11:49 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: #RafaNadal In Action In Barcelona, Ferrer Returns From Injury By @Dimonator For 10sBalls
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