Why?

Absent from Indian Wells because he wasn’t 100% ready yet, Cazaux was determined to play Phoenix but he relapsed?

Yeah, I don’t really understand the choice from Cazaux. He says he’s targeting Miami after withdrawing from IW and he’s going to test himself in Phoenix. He did beat Fearnley though, which is a very good sign for his comeback, but then he pulled out afterwards. Two possible explanations: either he really felt something and that’s not a good sign, or he just came to test himself for Miami and didn’t want to risk playing 2/3 matches before Miami. I don’t have the answer unfortunately. There’s not enough to do a full analysis of this match because it depends a lot on that.

I can talk about Barrios, who’s just qualified by beating Basavareddy then Vukic while only getting his serve broken once; that’s kind of his trademark. He’s labeled as a clay-courter but he’s already made a few small runs in non-clay tournaments. At the same time, he’s tall, powerful, and comfortable at the net, so I’m not surprised. He has his limits on fast surfaces and Cazaux is still a much better player, but the Frenchman is lacking rhythm and he’s going to face a formidable opponent.