BNP Paribas Open: Nikolosz Basilashvili vs. Albert Ramos-Vinolas 10/12/21 Tennis Prediction

Will Albert Ramos-Vinolas knock out his second seeded opponent in a row? The Spaniard has been in stunning form this week at the BNP Paribas Open, and he will be hoping to go even further. The inconsistent but very talented Nikolosz Basilashvili is next up in his path, can he stop the surging Ramos-Vinolas?

There are not many that would have expected Albert Ramos-Vinolas to have much of a chance against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Second Round, but he produced one of the biggest wins of his career to upset the Canadian 7th seed in straight sets. He is well known for his clay court results but has never had much success on the hard courts, but is determined to change that this week at the BNP Paribas Open. He doesn’t really have any weapons to threaten opponents on this surface but is extremely consistent, and his loopy lefty forehand can be a very awkward thing for opponents to face. He is in for a big challenge against Nikolosz Basilashvili but the erratic Georgian is exactly the type of player that may struggle against the Spaniard’s game style.

Nikolosz Basilashvili was once ranked in the top 20 a few seasons ago but has been in incredibly poor form for the past couple of years. He has improved a bit this year with some solid results, but is a long away from the player that he once was. Still ranked inside the top 40 he will be hoping to climb back up the rankings but his inconsistent game style holds him back as he goes for far too much at the wrong times. He won his first match here against Chris Eubanks and will be hoping to defeat the veteran Spaniard Ramos-Vinolas to advance to the Round of 16.

This is going to be a battle, and three sets in the match is very likely. Both men are very experienced and while Basilashvili’s game suits this surface more, he is too erratic to trust and I think he will lose here. Ramos-Vinolas will frustrate him with his consistency, and he will hit a lot of winners, but will also commit a lot of errors. It will be very close, but Albert Ramos-Vinolas should win here and continue his strong run here at the BNP Paribas Open.