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Daniel Altmaier vs Alexei Popyrin: ATP Barcelona – First round
Two players in going in their prime will face each other in the opening round of the ATP Barcelona.
Daniel Altmaier Profile
Daniel Altmaier is 66th in the ATP rankings and has never been higher than No. 47. The German is 6-11 for the season and 1-5 on clay courts.
He is coming off a 6-2, 7-6 loss to Francisco Cerundolo in the opening round of the main draw in Monte Carlo. He came into the main draw as a lucky loser after failing 6-2, 6-4 to Corentin Moutet in the second qualifying round. His only clay court win this season came in the first qualifying round against Luca Van Assche.
Altmaier’s best result this season was the quarterfinal in Auckland, where he retired against Arthur Fils.
This will be his first appearance in Barcelona.
Alexei Popyrin Profile
Alexei Popyrin is 44th in the ATP rankings, six spots lower than his career high. The Australian is 9-5 so far in the season and 2-1 on clay courts.
He is coming off a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Alex de Minaur in the round of 16 in Monte Carlo. Earlier in the tournament, he defeated Andrey Rublev and Corentin Moutet.
He also won two matches in Miami the week before, defeating Facundo Diaz Acosta and Jiri Lehecka before losing to Fabian Marozsan.
Popyrin’s best result so far in the season was the semifinal in Doha, where he lost to Karen Khachanov.
This is his third appearance in Barcelona and the first match in the main draw.
Head-to-Head – Popyrin leads 1-0
- Popyrin vs Altmaier 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 (2023 ATP Cincinnati, first round)
Prediction and Conclusion
Both players are entering their prime, and this season will show if they are made for the top 50 in the world or not. Popyrin has been the better player so far in the season, coming off a solid performance in Monte Carlo, while Altmaier has only one win on clay in 2024. That is quite disappointing for the German since he prefers playing on clay courts, which is not the case with Popyrin, who plays his best tennis on hard surfaces. The Australian has a much better serve and plays on a higher level from the baseline, while Altmaier moves better. Given all that, Popyrin is the favorite in this one and will win the match much easier than expected.
