Carlos Alcaraz (L) takes on Kwon Soon-woo in the second round of the Barcelona Open
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Carlos Alcaraz vs Kwon Soon-woo
Date: 20 April 2022.
Tournament: Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell
Round: Second Round (Round of 32).
Venue: Real Club de Tenis Barcelona.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €2,661,825.
Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video | Canada – TSN
Carlos Alcaraz vs Kwon Soon-woo preview
Alcaraz is among the favorites for the Barcelona Open
Fifth seed Carlos Alcaraz takes on Kwon Soon-woo in the second round of the Barcelona Open on Wednesday.
The Spaniard has been in scintillating form in 2022, having won two tournaments already. Alcaraz started the season with a third-round exit at the Australian Open at the hands of Matteo Berrettini. He bounced back soon after by winning the Rio Open with a win over Diego Schwartzman in the final.
The teenager then reached the semifinals at Indian Wells before losing to Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz finished the American summer by winning the Miami Masters.
The teenager, however, had a tough start to the European clay season as he suffered a second-round defeat to Sebastian Korda at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Kwon, meanwhile, has endured a poor season so far. After losing in the second round at Adelaide, Australian Open, Montpellier, Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, Kwon bowed out in the first round at both the Indian Wells and Miami Masters.
He faced more disappointment at the start of the clay season as he couldn’t qualify for the main draw of the Monte-Carlo Masters last week.
At the Barcelona Open this week, he beat Benoit Paire 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round of the competition.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Kwon Soon-woo head-to-head
Wednesday’s match will be the very first meeting between Alcaraz and Kwon, so their head-to-head is currently tied at 0-0.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Kwon Soon-woo odds
Alcaraz is heavily favored to win this match because of his incredible run of form in 2022.
(All odds sourced from BetMGM)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Kwon Soon-woo prediction
Alcaraz will enter the match as the overwhelming favorite to win. The Spaniard has been in sensational form this season, winning 18 out of 21 matches so far.
Kwon, on the other hand, does not have the best of records on clay courts, with only five wins out of 10 matches so far.
Alcaraz’s speed, aggression and dropshots will no doubt be extremely difficult for the South Korean to handle. Kwon will rely heavily on his defense to withstand the Spaniard’s intensity but he will have to be a lot more aggressive to beat someone of his quality, particularly on clay.
Alcaraz ideally should not have much difficulty getting the better of the struggling Kwon.
Prediction: Alcaraz to win in straight sets.
