Carlos Alcaraz of Spain returns the ball to Britain’s Daniel Evans during a semifinal open tennis tournament, in Barcelona, Spain.
Carlos Alcaraz (the defending champion) beat Daniel Evans 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the final of the Barcelona Open. He will face Stefanos Tsitsipas (the Greek) who defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Alcaraz secured his victory by blasting the ball under Evans’ racket while he approached. Alcaraz did not lose a set in four matches.
“Of course, how you reach a final is important for your confidence, and I head into tomorrow with a great feeling”, said Alcaraz. “Even so, we can’t just rely on how I have played and know that it will be a tough game.” Alcaraz, the U.S. Open champion, will be seeking his ninth career title and third of the year after triumphing in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells. If he beats Tsitsipas, it will be the first title he has successfully defended.
The 19-year-old Spaniard has defeated Tsitsipas 3-0, including a three-set victory in the Barcelona quarterfinals last year. Alcaraz described last year’s game against Tsitsipas as “spicy.” “Last year we had a spicy match, let’s say,” said Alcaraz. “I’m going to try to forget everything that has happened in the matches before, try to focus on my game tomorrow, and try to get the win.”
Alcaraz will also attempt to defend his title at the Madrid Open next week in the absence of former champions Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz beat countryman Pablo Carreño to win last year’s Barcelona final, which propelled him to the world No. 1 ranking.
Tsitsipas reached the final in Barcelona in 2018 and 2021, losing both times to 12-time winner Nadal.
The fifth-ranked Tsitsipas is seeking his first title of the year. Both Tsitsipas and Musetti struggled with their service games. Tsitsipas converted six of his eleven break points while Musetti made good on five of ten. “It was very physical out there,” Tsitsipas said. “We had to cover lots of meters on the court, and he had some incredible defensive shots that I really didn’t expect at all. It was such a mental challenge.”