Roberto Bautista Agut beat Roman Safiulin 6-3 7-6 (10-8) after 1 hour and 59 minutes to win the 399th match win on the ATP Tour of his career.
Bautista Agut earned his first game in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. The Spaniard converted his fourth break point in the ninth game to seal the first set 6-3.
Both players held on their service games en route to the tie-break.
Bautista Agut saved a set point at 8-7 in the tie-break of the second set before winning the final three points to seal the tie-break 10-8 after nearly two hours on Pista Rafa Nadal.
Bautista Agut drew level to 1-1 in his two head-to-head matches against Safiulin.
The former world number 9 set up a second round against Karen Khachanov. In this match Bautista Agut will have the chance to reach the milestone 400th win on the Tour.
Nick Hardt came back from one set down to beat Spanish Next Gen player Martin Landaluce 2-6 6-4 6-3. Hardt won his ATP Tour main draw debut match. He has become the first Dominican player to win an ATP Tour match since Victor Estrella Burgos in Quito in 2018.
Hardt converted his third break point in the first game of the opening set and held serve at 15 to take a 2-0 lead. Landaluce broke three three times to win the first set 6-2. Hardt earned a break in the third game to win the second set 6-4. Hardt broke twice in the third and ninth games to close out the third set 6-3.
“It was a crazy day, obviously a very special day. I feel at home here in Barcelona. Two weeks ago I won my first Challenger here, this week I qualified for my first ATP 500, and I won my first Tour match in the main draw”, said Hardt.
Brandon Nakashima beat Daniel Evans 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 to set up a second round match against Andrey Rublev. Evans earned his first break to take a 1-0 lead. Nakashima won four games in a row with two consecutive breaks to take a 4-1 lead. Evans broke back in the ninth game to draw level to 5-5. Both players traded two mini-breaks to draw level to 3-3 in the tie-break. Nakashima earned his third mini-break to win the tie-break. Nakashima broke serve at deuce in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. The US player converted his fifth break point in the seventh game and held serve at love in the eighth game to close out the second set 6-2.
Matteo Arnaldi was drawing level to 5-5 in the first set against Arthur Cazaux, when the Frenchman was forced to withdraw from the match due to an ankle injury.
Facundo Diaz Acosta beat Daniel Rincon 6-1 6-4.
Marco Trungelliti beat Duje Ajdukovic 6-2 7-6 (7-3).
