After successfully defending the Monte Carlo title, Stefanos Tsitsipas will quickly take another test this week at Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, where he reached the 2021 final.
The Greek tennis player just won against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Monte-Carlo final to win his 8th Tour-level title. And with four of them winning on clay, Tsitsipas continues to be highly regarded at Barcelona, where Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev are not playing.
Notably, according to the draw results, Tsitsipas may face the No. 5 seed, Carlos Alcaraz, in the quarter-finals if their journey in the tournament is favorable. Alcaraz could face the No. 9 seed, Nikoloz Basilashvili, in the third round if they win the opening match.
The 18-year-old Spaniard will play at home for the first time since losing to Rafael Nadal in Madrid last May. The world No. 11 is currently on an 18-3 record for the 2022 ATP Tour, in which he won in Miami and Rio de Janeiro. However, Alcaraz was left out early at Monte-Carlo the first major tournament on clay where he played. Before the tournament, fans were very excited by the prospect of Alcaraz meeting Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals, but in the end, both were eliminated in the opening match of round 2.
As for other players, Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime are notable names in the lower division. While the Canadian could meet Frances Tiafoe in the third round to recreate their 2021 US Open clash, Ruud's first potential opponent is Alexander Bublik.
Home country Spain has 3 seed players, with Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Carreno Busta joining in addition to Alcaraz. In the above branch, seed number 15, Agut, may face Alex de Minaur in round 3. Seed No. 8, Busta, could face compatriot Tommy Robredo - if the tennis player has a special ticket to the tournament to defeat Bernabe Zapata Miralles in round 1, and Lorenzo Sonego is a potential opponent in round 3. Busta reached the Barcelona semi-finals a year ago and lost to the then-rounder Nadal.
The main round of the Barcelona Open takes place from Monday afternoon (April 18) - Vietnam time.
