For Roberto Carballés Baena, qualifying for the Australian Open is nothing new, but it has been consistently unsuccessful so far: in ten attempts he has never reached the main draw. The Spaniard will try at last to end this sequence. His opponent, 20-year-old Gilles-Arnaud Bailly, is only taking his first steps at ATP level and can already be pleased with a debut victory on Australian hard courts.
Roberto Carballés Baena
Roberto Carballés Baena is strong on clay, but his statistics on hard courts are unimpressive. His win-loss record on this surface is 60-77. In the first qualifying round against Arthur Bouquier (6:2, 6:2) he did not drop serve once but landed only 59% of first serves. Bouquier, however, is only 225th in the ATP rankings. Since October, the Spanish player has lost two of his four matches on hard courts, all at Challenger level.
Gilles-Arnaud Bailly
Gilles-Arnaud Bailly represents the new wave of Belgian tennis and for now relies heavily on confidence and high-risk shots. In his first match he defeated Jack Pinnington Jones (6:4, 6:4), serving at 63% on first serve and winning 69% of points behind it. Although the Belgian’s career is only just beginning, he has already played 53 matches on hard courts, winning 38 of them. He also won an ITF (International Tennis Federation) tournament in Sintra in October last year, which is a solid result for a 20-year-old.
Roberto Carballés Baena vs Gilles-Arnaud Bailly Prediction
Roberto Carballés Baena should end his poor run here, but Gilles-Arnaud Bailly is capable of causing problems. The Spanish player is the clear favourite, yet a one-sided victory looks unlikely.
