[Samuel_Vimes]

Trusting Drake will go out before the QF. No chance to better the H2H.

EDIT:

Draw Analysis

Blanco is the defending champion here having beaten József Boros last year 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-2. He's still active in Barcelona where he seems to have put his injuries behind him, but faces an awful run to the final here. Potentially Emelio-Micic-Murdoch-Oxenstierna just to have a chance to defend his title. The big money matches there are a possible quarterfinal rematch with Dwayne Murdoch in the quarters and a Roland Garros final rematch against Sven Oxenstierna in the semis (first time on clay since then?).

For the CW contingent, hopefully nothing stands in the way of an Oxenstierna-Jefferson Drake quarter final but this is clearly the stacked half of the draw with some soft seeds and heaps of qualifiers in the top half. The Ox faces difficult second and third round matches - maybe Becker Haas and Miroslav Brdar but should get through unscathed in current form. Drake has it easier with Almen Benaglio and Carlo Amato the only real threats.

Jojo Mustard has been given a dud run and I would be surprised to see him replicate his form from Monte Carlo. He has wildcard compatriot Brett Read first who he should beat (though Read is a quarter finalist here), before Micic and then Blanco. Lights out there, you'd expect. Heath Davis gets a tricky first round clash with Pierre L'Estrange and then maybe eighth seed Radivoj Daneu who, although out of form, isn't likely to lose there.

Jarkko Maxum is the last CWLander in the main draw so far (not including quallies), and he will face eleventh seed Zoltán Varga again. The two are currently set to meet in Barcelona with the match just underway as of posting.

In Qualifying: Rob Bowenburg; Spas Delev; Roy Daniels.

Last year:
Quarter Finals: Read (lost to Carlo Amato, 6-7(4), 6-7(1))
Third Round: Oxenstierna (lost to Davis Kennedy, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6); Smeltz (lost to Brett Read, 3-6, 6-7(5)
Second Round: Drake (lost to Randy Smeltz, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6); Mustard (lost to Becker Haas, 2-6, 4-6)
First Round: Maxum (Qualified: lost to Rasmus Olesen, 4-6, 1-6); Hancianu (lost to Carter, 4-6, 5-7); Davis (lost to Antonio Bachunelli, 4-6, 4-6); Spleen (Qualified: lost to Sergio Joaquín, 7-5, 4-6, 4-6)
Second Qualifying Round: Bowenburg (lost to Jarkko Maxum, 4-6, 7-6(3), 4-6)
First Qualifying Round: Korpinen (lost to Atthaphol Sae-ul, 4-6, 4-6); de Wet (lost to Gregor Gorshkov, 6-7(1), 7-5, 5-7); Delev (lost to Billy Spleen, 6-7(9), 1-6)