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Cerundolo upsets third seed Ruud
Carlos Alcaraz fought off a late charge from countryman Roberto Bautista Agut to notch his second straight-sets victory this week at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. The 19-year-old continued his title defence with a 6-3, 7-5 win, looking at home on the Spanish clay in his first tournament since his hard-court run to the Miami semi-finals.

"Today was really tough. The conditions, it wasn't easy," Alcaraz said of the heavy winds that led to a combined eight breaks of serve. "Of course I had to adapt my game from the wind. It was really tough. Roberto's a great player, a really solid player. I had to stay focussed all the time, be there all the time and try to take my chances."

The victory improved Alcaraz to 9-1 against fellow Spaniards, with his only loss coming to Rafael Nadal in last year's Indian Wells semis. Playing on the Barcelona centre court named for Nadal, Alcaraz is bidding to become the first repeat champion at the ATP 500 since the Spanish legend reigned from 2016-18.

He will face another Spaniard, 10th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, in Friday's quarter-finals.

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After going behind an early break at 2-3 in the opening set, Alcaraz rattled off six straight games to take command. He hit the shot of the match to bring up his third and final set point of the first set, sliding into a desperate backhand and floating a slice beyond a stunned Bautista Agut, who thought he had the point won with his overhead.

"It was lucky. Honestly I didn't expect to make that shot," Alcaraz said of the magic moment. "I just closed my eyes, [swung] the racquet. It was a lot of luck that I made that shot. Something like that is so special."


Though he was broken twice midway through set two, Alcaraz powered through the finish line by winning the final 11 points from 4-5, 15/15. He wrapped up the win in one hour, 53 minutes after breaking serve on five of 10 chances, with Bautista Agut also doing damage on return with three breaks in seven opportunities.

Bautista Agut was stopped short of his third Barcelona quarter-final (2015, 2018) as Alcaraz denied him his first Top 10 win on clay. At 35, he was the oldest player in the last 16.

Top seed downs Davidovich Fokina, awaits Evans or Cerundolo in semis
For the second straight day at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Carlos Alcaraz shook off a stern test from a fellow Spaniard to advance in straight sets at the clay-court ATP 500. After beating Roberto Bautista Agut on Thursday, the 19-year-old edged Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(5), 6-4 on Friday to return to the semi-finals on home soil.

"It was really tough for me," Alcaraz assessed. "I started playing pretty well, serving for the first set. I was not able to win [that game]... I was going really fast, a lot of things on my mind. [After the first set] I was talking to myself, positive things, trying to play long rallies, trying to [be there] through the points, trying to feel more comfortable with myself."

Alcaraz has not lost a set in four Barcelona matches against his countrymen, including a win against Pablo Carreno Busta in last year's final. He is now 9-1 against Spanish opposition since the start of 2022 and 8-1 overall at the ATP 500 event, his lone defeat coming to Frances Tiafoe in his 2021 debut.

With two more wins, Alcaraz would become Barceiona's first repeat champion since Rafael Nadal won three straight titles from 2016-18. He will face Daniel Evans or Francisco Cerundolo in Saturday's semi-finals.

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While he did not produce his best tennis consistently in the chilly and windy conditions, Alcaraz managed the big moments well after losing the lead in both sets. While his level ebbed and flowed, he relied on his trusty drop shot at several key points and willed his way to victory at the end of each set.

Davidovich Fokina fought power with power and troubled Alcaraz throughout the two-hour, 10-minute match. He was two points away from winning the opening set on four occasions, but he never saw a set point after letting an early lead slip in the tie-break.


The pair split 22 break points in the match, with Alcaraz converting on four to his opponent's three. Alcaraz saved six of those break points to hold for 2-1 in the second set and capitalised with a break in the ensuing game, only to see Davidovich Fokina snatch it back with the shot of the match — a wicked drop volley that bounced back onto his side of the net, drawing a smile from Alcaraz.

"The hot shot is from him today," said Alcaraz, who produced a shot-of-the-tournament contender of his own against Bautista Agut on Thursday. "He played really well, great shots. Probably not only the one hot shot. He made a lot of them, probably more than me. It was a really fun match."

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Alcaraz sealed victory with a break of serve in the match's final game and will now wait for the result of Barcelona's Friday nightcap between Evans and Cerundolo to find out his next opponent.

19-year-old one win from successfully defending ATP Tour title for first time
Carlos Alcaraz’s perfect week continues at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

The top-seeded Spaniard eased past Daniel Evans 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday to reach the championship match at the clay-court ATP 500, where he is bidding to become the first repeat champion since Rafael Nadal lifted the trophy three years in a row from 2016-18.

Now 22-2 for the year, Alcaraz will take on Stefanos Tsitsipas as he chases his third tour-level title of 2023. The Buenos Aires and Indian Wells champion enters that clash holding a 3-0 ATP Head2Head series lead against Tsitsipas, a tally that includes a three-set quarter-final win in Barcelona last year.

“I feel really comfortable playing here in Barcelona and playing well,” said Alcaraz, who will try to successfully defend a title for the first time in his career against Tsitsipas. “Stefanos as well is playing great matches. Last year we had a spicy match, let’s say. I know he’s a really nice guy off the court, so 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 was clinical with his chances to down Evans in 81 minutes on Pista Rafa Nadal, where he converted five of his seven break points. Evans deployed typical variety in his shots, but his tactics were expertly countered by Alcaraz, who has now won all eight sets he has played this week at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899.

“It’s so special to play a final here in Barcelona, a tournament that I love playing,” said Alcaraz. “I came to watch this tournament when I was really young and I played for this club when I was 11 or 12. I love this club, I love this tournament, and it’s so special to have the chance to lift the trophy here again.”


Alcaraz broke twice in the opening set to take command of his second tour-level meeting with Evans before opening a 4-0 lead in the second. Although the World No. 26 Evans battled valiantly to the end and was rewarded for persistently moving to the net with his only break of the match in the fifth game, Alcaraz’s all-court game repeatedly proved too good.

The Spaniard’s ability to attack Evans’ serve was the defining feature of the match. Alcaraz won 57 per cent (28/49) of points on return to back up his win against the Briton in Vienna in 2021.