Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Rotterdam match.
Pedro Martínez is nine years younger than his compatriot, has won both of their previous encounters, and currently sits eight places higher in the rankings.
Pedro Martínez Portero
Both of his victories over Bautista Agut came on clay, the preferred surface for both players. The most recent win was in the first round of Estoril 2024, where Martínez went on to reach the final. However, his hard-court record is far less convincing—just a slight career-positive (70-66), and last season, he actually had a losing record (7-9). When narrowing it down to indoor courts, he went 4-5 in 2024.
Roberto Bautista Agut
Bautista Agut has a much longer career sample size, and his success on hard courts is evident—his win-loss ratio is nearly 2:1 (314-165), with a solid indoor record of 124-94. While his performance on this surface has declined in recent years (20-20 over the past two seasons), his 2024 indoor results (7-4) were significantly better than his 2023 struggles (2-8).
Pedro Martínez Portero vs Roberto Bautista Agut Prediction
This explains why the younger Spaniard is still viewed as the underdog. Age may be catching up with Bautista Agut, but he remains more reliable on hard courts. That said, Martínez Portero should at least make this a competitive battle, and he has a realistic chance of securing his first hard-court victory over his countryman.
