Roberto Carballes Baena vs Christopher O'Connell Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Italian Open

Prediction published on 08/05/2024, 05:29  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 08/05/2024 at 06:29 in ATP Italian Open Predictions

Roberto Carballes Baena reached the third round in the Italian Open last year. The Spaniard takes on fellow unseeded player Christopher O'Connell in round one of this year's outdoor clay court tournament. There'll be seeded opposition for the winner with ninth seed Alex de Minaur the scheduled opponent. Baena is 64th in the live rankings and has had a steady year on clay. His best performance was in Barcelona where he thrilled his home supporters with a run to the last 16. That saw him get wins over Hugo Grenier and Lorenzo Musetti before being beaten by Stefanos Tsitsipas. Still in Spain, he reached the last 32 in Madrid in his most recent tournament. 

Christopher O'Connell is two places and ten ranking points above his opponent in the live list but just below him in the live ATP Race. The Australian has had success on clay in lower level tournaments but hasn't done so well on those played on the ATP Tour. He's never won a match in this tournament and had four failed attempts at Roland Garros to get a victory. His most recent tournament was in Madrid where he was beaten by Matteo Arnaldi in the first round. His only wins on the 2024 European clay courts swing have been in the qualifying rounds held in Monte Carlo. Since those victories he's lost all three of his matches and failed to win a set. We tip that bad run to continue with a win for Baena.