Marcos Baghdatis was denied the 300th match win of his career on Tuesday at the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy. Marco Cecchinato saved all four break points he faced to defeat the fifth seed 6-2, 6-4 in 75 minutes. He’ll next face Damir Dzumhur, who last week qualified for the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and reached the third round (l. to Raonic).

Seventh seed Paolo Lorenzi recorded his 10th victory of the year by beating Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-4 in 84 minutes. Later in the day, former World No. 7 Fernando Verdasco – returning to the tournament for the first time since 2006, hit 18 aces to scrap past qualifier Aldin Setkic 6-7(5), 6-1, 7-5 in two hours and 34 minutes.

Top seed Bernard Tomic will open his campaign at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament against Robin Haase, who overcame qualifier Andrea Arnaboldi 7-6(4), 6-4 in one hour and 48 minutes.

“It was a long match, even for clay,” said Haase. “I was lucky to be two breaks up in the first set, but then he came back and it was totally different. I should have won that set 6-3 or maybe 6-4. But then I got the tie-break and I came back from a break down in the second. I’m pleased with the victory.”

Second seed Ivo Karlovic will face Lucas Pouille, who overcame Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4. Karlovic is one match win away from 300 victories.

“I am happy right now,” said Pouille. “It is never easy to enter a tournament after a good week in Monte-Carlo, especially against Dusan who I lost to twice already. It wasn’t a high-quality match but I tried to do simple things, to serve well and to be solid during important points.”

If they were looking for inspiration ahead of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, David Ferrer and Richard Gasquet may have found it as they visited one of the most impressive football grounds in the world on Monday – the Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona.

Ferrer and Gasquet were welcomed to the club by Jordi Cardoner, vice president of FC Barcelona, and Jordi Penas, the director of the FC Barcelona museum. As well as being presented with replica shirts bearing their names, the pair were treated to a private tour of the Camp Nou, including a visit to the museum, which houses Lionel Messi’s Ballon d’Or awards, the shirt of legendary player Ronald Koeman, and FC Barcelona’s countless trophies.

Ferrer, a Barcelona fan, had been to the ground many times before for matches, but never pitch side. 

“I’m a supporter of Barcelona and it was very nice to have a chance to do the tour and be here in the Nou Camp,” said Ferrer. “Lionel Messi is my favourite player. He’s the best player in the world. I’ve never seen anyone like him.” 

The Spaniard is a four-time former finalist in Barcelona, losing to Rafael Nadal on each occasion. He is making his return from a calf injury this week, after being forced to miss the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, and faces Radek Stepanek in his opening second-round match.

Gasquet is seeded fourth at this ATP World Tour 500 clay-court tournament and is looking to bounce back from a second-round exit in Monte-Carlo.

“It’s important to be back in Barcelona,” said Gasquet, who is playing here for the first time since 2011. “I hope I will play well. It’s a favourite tournament for me, a historic one, a lot of big players won here. I like playing here.

“It was crazy to visit the [FC Barcelona] museum,” continued Gasquet, who supports PSG. “It’s an incredible experience for me, especially being on the pitch. It’s so big, it’s amazing. I’m a football fan and to be here in the Camp Nou, it’s amazing for me.

Rafael Nadal will begin his quest for a ninth title at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell against fellow Spaniard Marcel Granollers on Wednesday. Nadal, who lifted his 28th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (d. Monfils) last week, leads Granollers 3-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Granollers struck 10 aces in a 6-4, 6-3 win over Daniel Munoz de la Nava for his second-round berth.

Alexandr Dolgopolov, the No. 11 seed, reached the third round by saving one match point at 7/8 in the second set tie-break against Evegeny Donskoy. Dolgopolov triumphed 4-6, 7-6(9), 6-4.

Former World No. 8 Mikhail Youzhny proved to be too strong for Rajeev Ram in a 6-2, 6-2 win over 69 minutes. He now faces No. 12 seed Fabio Fognini in the second round.

World No.1 Novak Djokovic was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for the second year in a row. The Serb was on hand in Berlin to accept his award, dedicating it to Formula One driver Niki Lauda and footballer Johan Cruyff. Djokovic topped fellow star athletes Stephen Curry, Lewis Hamilton, Usain Bolt, Jordan Spieth and Lionel Messi for the award. 

Congratulations to @DjokerNole, your Laureus World Sportsman of the Year! #LWSA16 pic.twitter.com/6ABX5MhKXi

— Laureus (@LaureusSport) April 18, 2016

“He had a great year again,” said Djokovic’s coach Boris Becker, a Laureus Academy member. “He’s played 88 matches, has won 82, He won three out of the four Grand Slams, reached the final of the French Open, he’s won seven other tournaments. Very few players, if any, had a year like that.”

Djokovic also earned Sportsman of the Year honours in 2012, following in the footsteps of Rafael Nadal (2011) and four-time winner Roger Federer (2005-08).

He tweeted ahead of the ceremony:

Excited! So many great athletes will be at the @LaureusSport awards ceremony. Always wearing #SneakersforGood pic.twitter.com/CHUFr1VH8F

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) April 18, 2016

Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili came back from the brink to overcome former finalist Nicolas Almagro 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-2 on Monday at the Barcelona Open BancSabadell. Almagro, the 2013 runner-up (l. to Nadal), made a first-round exit for just the second time in 13 appearances at this ATP World Tour 500 clay-court tournament.

World No. 54 Gabashvili saved two match points while serving down 3-5 in the second set and broke Almagro to love in the next game. He clinched the victory after two hours and 11 minutes as he capitalised on his seventh match point opportunity.

There were mixed results for NextGen stars on Monday. Eighteen-year-old Alexander Zverev, the 2015 ATP Star of Tomorrow presented by Emirates, dismissed fellow German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-3. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Hyeon Chung fell to Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri 6-3, 6-4.

Another 19 year old, qualifier Karen Khachanov, went the distance to defeat Great Britain’s Aljaz Bedene 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(2) in two hours and four minutes. He recorded his first ATP World Tour main draw win since a quarter-final effort three years ago in Moscow.

Four-time finalist and No. 3 seed David Ferrer will start his Barcelona campaign against Radek Stepanek. The Czech qualifier, the oldest player in the main draw at 37 years of age, defeated Colombian Santiago Giraldo 6-4, 7-5.

A pair of Spaniards also advanced on the first day of main draw action. Wild card Albert Montanes beat countryman Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 6-3, while Inigo Cervantes advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Croatian qualifier Franko Skugor.