Fortune favors the brave, it is often said. Well, 31-year-old Roberto Carballes Baena will be having a similar feeling when he steps onto the court to play in the main draw at the Paris Masters. The veteran Spanish star lost in the final qualifying round but received an entry into the main draw as a lucky loser after Felix Auger-Aliassime pulled out from the event. However, the task won’t be easy for Baena, as he is up against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

While Carballes Baena is riding on luck, Tsitsipas hasn’t had the best of times on the court as far as his fortunes are concerned. He has failed to dig deep in the tournaments despite giving his all. However, things could change when he steps onto the court in Paris.

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Roberto Carballes Baena: Preview

The Greek star has had a forgettable 2024 season. He has won just 1 title this year, which clearly doesn’t justify the mountain of talent that he possesses. Additionally, he has had poor performances at Grand Slams this year and failed to reach beyond the quarterfinals in any of them. Further, his recent form doesn’t look encouraging either. He made back-to-back quarterfinals in the European Open and the Swiss Indoors but lost in the last eight clashes. Thus, the Greek star would be looking for redemption when he faces Carballes Baena next.

Like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carballes Baena hasn’t had a great season either. He has yet to win a title this year and has had inconsistent performances all throughout the season. While success eluded him on the ATP Tour, the Spaniard has won a couple of titles on the Challenger Tour. Moreover, he has no shortage of experience and will try to give his best against Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas vs Carballes Baena: Head-to-head

Having been on the tour for a long time, it was natural for Tsitsipas and Carballes Baena to lock horns with each other on numerous occasions. Statistically speaking, the two have played each other thrice on the ATP Tour. However, all the victories have gone to the Greek star and Carballes Baena is yet to win a match against Tsitsipas.

While their latest meeting was in Barcelona this year, their rivalry started back in 2018 in Estoril. An interesting point to note is that all their matches have been keenly fought, with Carballes Baena also winning a couple of sets against Tsitsipas. Thus, expect a similar scenario when they play in Paris later today.

Prediction: Tsitsipas to come out on the top

The Greek star is the 10th seed in Paris and will aim to put his best foot forward as he aims to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin next month. On the other hand, Carballes Baena lies outside the top 50 of the ATP rankings in the 54th spot. Moreover, the Spaniard’s win-loss record in 2024 isn’t very encouraging. He has won almost as many matches as he has lost and his win-loss record stands at 25-24. However, Stefanos Tsitsipas is clearly ahead in this regard and his win-loss record is 42-21 in 2024.

Further, over the course of the past few tournaments, Carballes Baena has been struggling with his return game. In his final qualifying round loss to Lorenzo Sonego in Paris, he won just 31% return points, something which Tsitsipas would look to exploit. Tsitsipas is expected to win the match in straight sets and enter the round of 32. Their match takes place later today on the Center Court.