Lorenzo Musetti will try to end a troubling run when he opens against Martin Landaluce on Tuesday at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona, with first-round action set to wrap up. The No. 2 seed has not won a match on tour since the Australian Open, and the preview backs Musetti in 2.
That makes the meeting with martin landaluce more than a routine opener. Landaluce is still ranked just outside the Top 100, but the rising star has already made a name for himself with a powerful forehand, and he now gets a Top 10 opponent whose season has been slowed by various injuries.
Barcelona has become a place where Musetti is being asked to steady himself quickly. The Italian arrives carrying a two-match losing streak in a season that has not found much rhythm, while Landaluce comes in with the kind of freedom that often belongs to players still trying to force their way into the Top 100.
The contrast is what makes the match matter. Musetti is supposed to win, and the prediction reflects that. But Landaluce does not need to be the favorite to make this awkward, and if he can use his forehand to land first, he could turn a first-round match into a far less comfortable night for the No. 2 seed.
