2022 ATP Barcelona Open Analysis

Alcaraz, Tsitsipas, Ruud Top Betting Odds on Clay

April 18, 2022 55 3 minutes readTennis
ATP Barcelona Predictions
VALERY HACHE / AFP

ATP Barcelona betting odds everywhere begin and end with Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas. Hence, multiple markets have Alcaraz priced as the +275 favorite to win the tournament outright, with Tsitsipas nipping at his heels at +330.

Casper Ruud enters as the third-best bet at +450, but after the Norwegian the odds triple, beginning with Diego Schwartzman, who is pegged as the fourth-best bet at +1200. Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta comes in at +1400 while Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who finished runner-up to Tsitsipas in Monaco, comes in as a bit of a longshot bet at +2800.

Alcaraz the Player to Beat

Alcaraz enters outright ATP Barcelona betting odds markets as the favorite to win the title, but he’s closely followed by top seed Tsitsipas, who is coming off a second straight Monte-Carlo Masters title on Sunday.

It’s hard to look past Alcaraz and Tsitsipas right now for ATP Barcelona odds, considering they’ve split the last two Masters titles on the ATP calendar. Both players come into Barcelona sporting some of the best records in 2022. Alcaraz is 18-3 with two titles while Tsitsipas is 22-7 with one title for the season.

Tsitsipas, in particular, joined illustrious company last week by becoming only one of two active players to win back-to-back Monty titles. The other is … drumroll … none other than the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. It’s safe to say that for Tsitsipas, clay is undoubtedly his best surface.

So, is it any wonder that the pair feature at the forefront of ATP Barcelona odds this week?

The one knockback for this pair is the fact that they’ve fallen into the same quarter and are on a collision course in the final eight. This means one will be eliminated by the other should the draw fall in line with expectations.

Alcaraz has the 2-0 head-to-head edge over Tsitsipas, but both those wins have come on a hard court. Alcaraz beat Tsitsipas last year at the U.S. Open in an epic five-set marathon. He clinched his second win over Tsitsipas in straight sets in the Round of 16 at Miami at the end of last month.

Second Half is Wide Open

All eyes will be on Alcaraz and Tsitsipas this week and the weight of expectation will be a test of their mettle. It’s worth pointing out that Alcaraz was among the favorites last week in Monte-Carlo, but he was ousted in his tournament opener by Sebastian Korda. So, favoritism alone isn’t a guarantee of success.

The ATP Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell features a slew of contenders, middleweights, dangerous floaters and outside bets that are worth a look. Ruud is 14-5 on the season with one title after winning Buenos Aires during the Latin American clay-court swing. Six of his seven career titles have come on clay, so he’s definitely one to spot in Barcelona.

Ruud spearheads the bottom half of the draw, which is the more wide-open section. Ruud is a good bet to emerge from this half, but he could face stiff challenges from various legitimate contenders.

Schwartzman flanks the opposite corner of the second half of the draw, while Davidovich Fokina, Korda and Busta are all contained in different parts of this section. All three are so-called clay-court aficionados that could go deep in the tournament. In fact, Schwartzman very nearly upset Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals of Monte-Carlo before he bottled it spectacularly in the third set and allowed a 4-0 lead to slip through his fingers.

 

Davidovich Fokina will be motivated to carry the momentum from Monaco this week, and with home-court advantage, he’s certainly an interesting prospect. It remains to be seen whether the weight of expectation or the occasion itself will be too great.

Tennis Betting Verdict

For those looking to bet on the Barcelona Open this week, it’s hard to look beyond the top two favorites according to the oddsmakers. Bettors could do no worse than backing either Alcaraz or Tsitsipas for their tennis picks. That said, Ruud might be unfairly overlooked as he’s someone that comes into this tournament in fine form.

Outside bets such as Davidovich Fokina and Grigor Dimitrov are intriguing options worth the tickle. But these aren’t for the fainthearted. Davidovich Fokina, for instance, is yet to claim his maiden ATP title.

As well, longshots such as Korda and Schwartzman might be tempting alternatives, but these players aren’t exactly synonymous with consistency. A lot would have to go their way in the race to the final.

Carlos AlcarazDavidovich-FokinaTennis
April 18, 2022
55 3 minutes read
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