21 | April | 2015 | Tennis Courts Map Directory

Rafael Nadal vs Nicolas Almagro Preview – ATP Barcelona 2015 Round 2

Posted: Apr 21, 2015

An all-Spanish match-up is scheduled to take place Wednesday afternoon, as world No. 4 Rafael Nadal and Nicolas Almagro meet for a spot in the third round in Barcelona. This is a particularly intriguing match-up, as Nadal lost to Almagro for the first time in his career at this very same event last season. The Nadal vs Almagro Head to Head stands at 11-1.

Last Saturday, Nadal took on his longtime rival Novak Djokovic in an entertaining battle, and while he succumbed to the in-form Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, it was a far more competitive battle than the scoreline suggests. Overall, while he was pushed to three sets against the likes of John Isner, Nadal finds solace in the fact that he was able to pull through various obstacles en route to the final four of the tournament.

“For me, is a very positive week. The most positive week of the season, without any doubt,” said Nadal. “I think, if I am able to keep doing that in the next tournament in Barcelona, and I have a tough draw, I will say that I am very well again.”

“The way that I played yesterday and for moments today is the way that I want to play. Just with more matches playing like this, I will be confident enough to play. That level will not be the exception; it will be the normal thing. That is the thing that I need to make happen.”

His upcoming opponent, Nicolas Almagro, breezed into the second round by playing less than four games in his opening match against Paolo Lorenzi. The Italian retired 10 minutes into the match, which allowed the Spaniard easy entry into the following stage of the tournament.

This marks the 13th time these two competitors will clash on the ATP World Tour, with Nadal holding a solid 11-1 record against Almagro. The record includes an 8-0 clay court record, including ones in Barcelona and Acapulco in 2013. However, Almagro shocked the tennis community last season when he rallied from a set down to beat Nadal in the decider of the Barcelona quarter-final. Nadal will have an opportunity to right that wrong on Wednesday afternoon.

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Marcel Granollers Preview – ATP Barcelona 2015 Round 2

Posted: Apr 21, 2015

In keeping with his gradual return to the ATP World Tour, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will begin his campaign in Barcelona with a decent clay court challenge in Marcel Granollers. The Frenchman has encountered his Spanish counterpart on two previous occasions, and leads the head-to-head series 2-0.

Although Tsonga is coming off a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an arm injury, he still managed to show some positive signs in his recovery with his performances over the past couple of weeks on the tour. Following a loss in just his second match back on the tour to Gael Monfils in Miami, Tsonga defeated Jan-Lennard Struff and David Goffin in Monte Carlo before losing to Marin Cilic in the following fourth round match. While he was downed in straight sets, he ultimately showed that he is en route back to full form.

His second round opponent in Barcelona will be Marcel Granollers, who reached that stage of the tournament with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Marinko Matosevic. He won 63% of his first service points and saved five break points to close out the match in one hour and 28 minutes.

This marks the third time that Tsonga and Granollers will meet on the ATP World Tour. Tsonga leads the head-to-head series 2-0, both of which took place on hard courts four years apart. The first win was in 2008, while the second one took place in 2012. Apart from the advantage of having already practiced on this particular court during his first round match, it is difficult to see how Granollers could beat Tsonga to reach the third round.

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Marin Cilic vs Victor Estrella Burgos Preview – ATP Barcelona 2015 Round 2

Posted: Apr 21, 2015

In an intriguing second round Barcelona Open encounter, reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic will step across the net from the oldest player to win a maiden ATP World Tour title in Victor Estrella Burgos for their first professional meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

Following an extended spell on the sidelines recovering from an injury, US Open champion Marin Cilic began his 2015 season this week in Indian Wells, where suffered a premature exit in his opening match in the desert but he was able to make up for it over the coming weeks with better showings in Monte Carlo.

After the world No. 9 lost to Juan Monaco in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 , he revealed that he was pleased with his performance, as he didn’t have high expectations for his first match back on tour. He even had some lingering pain in his shoulder, which is why he was unable to serve well.

“I wasn’t expecting that I’m going to be playing great tennis, which is always difficult in the first couple of matches,” he said. “Some players do feel great from the beginning, but I’m the kind of player that needs a few matches to get into it.”

He then surprised many when he was able to put on an impressive showing at the Monte Carlo Masters event to reach the quarter-final stage of the tournament. He defeated Florian Mayer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to secure his spot in the final eight alongside Novak Djokovic. While he was absolutely no match for the top ranked Serb, it was still a dramatically improved week than that at Indian Wells.

The Croat will next encounter Victor Estrella Burgos, who reached the second round in Barcelona with a straight sets victory over Dominic Thiem in their first round match. He defeated the Austraian 6-3, 7-6(3) in a match where he struck six aces, won 71% of his first service points and saved eight break points to finish in one hour and 20 minutes.

This marks the first time that Cilic and Burgos will cross paths on the ATP World Tour and could make for a more intriguing match-up than many fans and pundits could expect. The Dominican Republic native has already won his first title on the tour this season and will be motivated to secure a win against the reigning US Open champion.

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