A spot in the next round is at stake on Thursday, when Alex Barrena goes up against Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo in the Trieste round of 16. Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo has won 6 of the last 10. Alex Barrena has won 4 of the last 10.
There is no history here: this is their first tour-level meeting.
Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo simply rates much higher on clay, and our number follows from it. This one is close to a coin flip, and the lean toward Izquierdo is exactly that — a lean.