By Tony Fairbairn
- Jacob Fearnley [LL] def Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1 7-5
- Fearnley v Alex De Minaur [5] | H2H: First Meeting
BARCELONA, SPAIN – Jacob Fearnley took advantage of his late lucky loser spot to defeat Roberto Carballes Baena and set up a second round meeting with Alex De Minaur in Barcelona.
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Jacob Fearnley [LL] def Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1 7-5
Jacob Fearnley is into the second round of Barcelona after accepting a late lucky loser entry to defeat Roberto Carballes Baena. The Brit made the main draw after Jordan Thompson withdrew from the tournament and Fearnley made a dominant start to the match, breaking in the opening game.
There was not going to be any free gifts from Carballes Baena as the clay court specialist aimed to respond with an immediate break back. However Fearnley produced some aggressive serving to save three break points and hold for a 2-0 lead.
This gave the world number 74 an immense amount of confidence as he once again took the match to Carballes Baena, who was underwhelming on serve. After a long game, Fearnley broke for a second time on his fifth opportunity to take a 4-1 lead. It was one way traffic and another two games went to the Brit as he played one of the best sets of tennis this season to take the opening set 6-1.
At the start of the second set, Fearnley continued to dominate on return as he used the forehand to cause Carballes Baena problems. The Spaniard saved three break points in the second game to level the set at 1-1 before creating more break points of his own. Although Carballes Baena was unable to break in the third game, the Spaniard did eventually secure two consecutive breaks and was now in cruise control of this match at 5-2.
This was a physical battle which Fearnley was suffering in the longer rallies and unable to make an impact on the contest. However, the Brit adapted his game and went on the attack as he saved two set points, breaking on three consecutive occasions to seal victory and his place in the second round.
Jacob Fearnley [LL] v Alex De Minaur [5] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Jacob Fearnley [LL] v Alex De Minaur [5] | H2H: First Meeting |
| ATP Barcelona 2025 | Barcelona, Spain |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €40,735 |
| Fourth on Pista Rafa Nadal (16:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Fearnley will face Monte-Carlo semi-finalist Alex De Minaur for a place in his first ATP clay court quarter-final.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (Last 52 Weeks)
| H2H: | Jacob Fearnley (WR 74) | Alex De Minaur (WR 7) |
| Tournament Previous Best | N/A | Semi-Final (2022) |
| 1st Serve % | 60.5 | 53.7 |
| Service Games Won % | 80.8 | 80.2 |
| Break Points Saved % | 60.8 | 56.9 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 53.2 | 55.2 |
| Break Points Converted % | 37 | 46.5 |
Fearnley will need to be aggressive on serve as he is coming up against a clinical returner like De Minaur.
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Playing styles and prediction
It’s been another fantastic start to the season for De Minaur and the Australian has continued that form into the clay court season. It was a ruthless week in Monte-Carlo which included a double bagel against Grigor Dimitrov on his way to the semi-finals. Now De Minaur will aim to continue to master the clay and expand on his current confidence ahead of an important next couple of months.
Fearnley will need to serve aggressively as he will use the backhand to pin De Minaur behind the baseline while approaching the net to finish points off. Meanwhile De Minaur will be aggressive on serve and use the forehand to create angles and test Fearnley’s movement on the red dirt. This will be an important test for Fearnley on the road to Rolamd Garros but De Minaur should have too much quality for the Brit.
Prediction: De Minaur in straight sets.
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