World number three Rafael Nadal will take on the 111th-ranked Belarusian Ilya Ivashka in the second round of the 2021 Barcelona Open on Wednesday, April 21. Get the live streaming options of this Rafael Nadal v Ilya Ivashka match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Rafael Nadal v Ilya Ivashka Head to Head
This will be the first meeting between Nadal and Ivashka at the highest competitive level.
Also Read:
Nadal Coming off Monte-Carlo Shock
It’s been a slow start for Nadal this season by his own lofty standards. having played in only two tournaments because of his back issue and not going too far. At least not as far as he would have liked.
At the Australian Open, his back gave him enough problems to force the Spaniard into a different serving routine and he managed only a quarterfinal appearance before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
After a prolonged break, Nadal then played at the Monte-Carlo Masters and made it as far as the quarterfinals, losing to the Russian Andrey Rublev. The 11-time Monte-Carlo Masters had only once before that loss, crashed out that early in that tournament.
Nadal should not have no big issues coming up against a player of the calibre of Ivashka, but his real test will lie later in the tournament when he faces the likes of Cristian Garin or David Goffin or even Diego Schwartzman, all of whom are in his half of the draw.
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Ivashka Faces No Issues in Opener
The former world number 80 Ivashka had qualified for this tournament with back to back straight-set wins over Maxime Cressy and Federico Gaio. He then found himself up against another qualifier in the first round, Tallon Griekspoor in what was expected to be a tough battle.
However, the Belarusian world number 111 got past Griekspoor quite easily, winning 6-3, 6-1 to seal his second round berth. This followed his performance at the Marbella Open where wins over Pedro Martinez and Alejandro Fokina had seen him make it as far as the quarterfinal.
The ease of win would also fill the 27-year-old with some confidence as Ivashka needed a mere 58 minutes to get past his opponent. In doing so, he broke Griekspoor four times, and did not face a single break-point of his own.
Ivashka now faces one of the toughest battles of his tennis career but safe in the knowledge he has already made this his best showing at Barcelona.
Nadal v Ivashka Prediction and Tip
The difference in the quality is obvious but we are looking at the games handicap market and Nadal at -7.5 looks a tempting option here.
Tip: Games Handicap Nadal -7.5: 11/10 (bet365)
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The 2021 Barcelona Open will be played from April 19 to 25. You can watch & bet on these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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