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The top seed no one expects to clinch the title

Haase won the first set and had 4-1 lead in the second one but failed to use it to get the job done. He got away in the end and can now play under no pressure but with ambition. He won both head-to-head matches with Lopez on clay court. The Spaniard didn't do well last week either and hasn't played here since 2007. The No. 1 who doesn't have a single clay court title

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A few years ago, one could have imagined Lopez getting on the verge of Top 10, right during the clay court season and the tournaments he would normally steer clear of. He is the first seed here, having played in Estoril 8 years ago last time. He was knocked out in qualifying rounds back then. Lopez tied two matches in Barcelona last week and pulled out of Monte Carlo before that. 

- Playing all tournaments is impossible but I feel great and I'm now ready for Barcelona. This is always a special tournament for me and I' proud to say this is the 15th time I am here. I hope to break the record - the Spaniard said. He might have played here a lot of times but hasn't really done well when it comes to number of wins. 

He barely beat Ilhan, who had a chance to beat Lopez for the second time this season. Lopez went on to meet Andujar and got a lesson on how to play on clay court. Even though Lopez opened with a 3-1 lead, the defeat was in the end convincing. His compatriot limited him to only 5 aces, while converting 4 break point opportunities. Even though Lopez is one of top players when it comes to saving break points, he manage to save only 2 out of 6 this time. As the No. 1 seed, he spent more time with endorsement acticities than tennis and talked more about the city than his game:

- Estoril is a beautiful place. It's not only about tennis. 

Haase definitely cannot afford to be that relaxed after a very poor start to the season. He recorded a win after 7 matches in Indian Wells first round over Bolt. That seems like a dream draw now. He then went on to beat Wawrinka, whose crisis found its way into the tabloids. Even though he tied three wins in Miami, that was mostly due to a favorable draw. It's more concerning that Haase didn't win a single game in the third set against Girlado than the fact he lost to Ramos easily. Besides, Haase lost easily even to Ouahab. Granted, Ouahab played home and did brilliantly but the Dutchman made that happen as well. 

Haase's performance here was less than convincing as well. Berankis would normally have been a very good draw on clay court but Haase made everything very complicated this time. He had a 6-3 and 4-1 lead which he failed to use only to allow opponent to take a 2-1 lead in the third set. But luckily for Haase, Berankis doesn't do well in close finished either. Even the very end of the match was close because he had a break point for 5-5 but the Dutchman somehow managed to win.

These kind of matches are probably easier for the Dutchman. He is playing the first seed, which makes him the underdog, even though he probably know that he does stand a chance today. he beat Lopez in their both matches on clay court. That was at a higher altitude and Lopez's serve will not play such an important role today. Mentally, Lopez is a few levels above Haase which is why he's is basically a Top 10 player. Game-wise, Haase should be Top 50. If this goes into a dramatic end, the Dutchman will have a hard time winning. But at the same time, Lopez's defeat would not come as a surprise either. He might be top seed he's probably not even among the 4 prime candidates for the title. All of his ATP titles are from fast surfaces - Easbourne twice (grass), Vienna (indoors) and Johannesburg, where the draw was more challenger than ATP tournament-like.