13th seeded Grigor Dimitrov will take on Bulgarian Fernando Verdasco in their second round match at the 2019 Barcelona Open on Wednesday. The match begins at around 1 pm local time (2 pm BST) and you can get Grigor Dimitrov v Fernando Verdasco live streaming options here.
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Grigor Dimitrov v Fernando Verdasco Head to Head
These two have had a close history, with a 4-3 on head to head in favour of Verdasco at this stage. Verdasco won their first two encounters, Dimitrov came back to make it 2-2, and then the Spaniard won the next two matches including a straight-set win at the French Open. The Bulgarian then won at their last meeting at the Toronto Masters last year.
Dimitrov in a Free-Fall Waiting for Light at the End of Tunnel
When one looks at Dimitrov’s win-loss record for the year, it’s not that bad – 8-4 might be acceptable to many. But for someone expected to take over as the next member of the Big Three or at least be a part of the Next Gen of players who could end up with a few Grand Slams, Dimitrov’s fall in the rankings has been stunning.
At the start of 2018, he was ranked third in the world. Around 15-odd months on, he has fallen to 43rd and with no respite in sight. And to go with that, clay hasn’t been one of most favourite surfaces with a 15-15 win-loss record on this surface over the last three years since 2015.
He did make it as far as the third round at the Monte-Carlo Masters last week where he ran into Rafael Nadal and duly lost. However, those two wins on clay should give him some respite, some confidence going into this encounter against the former world number seven.
Verdasco in Form Trouble Too
Counting all the main draw matches, Verdasco has a 9-8 win-loss record this year, an indicator how tough it has been for the Spaniard himself. And he came into this tournament on the back of three back to back losses, spread across nearly 45 days.
After pushing Roger Federer to three sets in the second round in Dubai, Verdasco went out in round one at Marrakech and was then sent packing at the same stage of the Monte-Carlo Masters. His best showing this season came at the Australian Open where he made the third round and followed it up with a quarter-final at the Sofia Open but he hasn’t done too much since.
Interestingly, Verdasco is a former winner of the Barcelona Open, having triumphed here in 2010, beating Robin Soderling in the final to lift one of his six ATP titles.
Dimitrov v Verdasco Predictions & Tips
Dimitrov starts off as a favourite with 888Sport offering 4/6 for his win as opposed to 59/50 for a Verdasco victory in this match. Despite his form trouble, the Bulgarian has generally done better than the Spaniard this year but Verdasco does have a better clay record. Expect a three-setter that goes right down to the wire.
Tip: Three-setter in the match: 6/5 (William Hill)
You can watch & bet on Grigor Dimitrov v Fernando Verdasco on Wednesday, April 24 here. . Get the Barcelona Open tips and predictions here, and the rest of the tennis predictions and tips here.
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