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Fixture: (1) Carlos Alcaraz vs (2) Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tournament: Barcelona Open 2023
Date: Sunday, April 23
Round: Final
Venue: Real Club de Tenis de Barcelona-1899, Spain
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €2,722,480
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Carlos Alcaraz vs Stefanos Tsitsipas preview
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz takes on second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a blockbuster Barcelona Open final on Sunday.
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The second-ranked Alcaraz extended his win streak at the ATP 500 claycourt event to nine matches, racking up his fourth straight straight-set win. He's now 22-2 on the season, beating Daniel Evans for a loss of just four games in the semi-final. The defending champion, who won 57% of his return points, is now 9-1 at the tournament and looking good for consecutive titles.
The 19-year-old won his first title of the season at the Argentina Open before losing the Rio de Janeiro final to Cameron Norrie. Alcaraz returned to winning ways at Indian Wells, winning his second title of the year. However, a semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner in Miami denied him a Sunshine Double.
Meanwhile, fifth-ranked Tsitsipas took a more circuitous route to the final. Recovering from a set down, he needed three sets to down Lorenzo Musetti and reach his second final of the season. The two-time runner-up (2018, 2021), dropping serve for the first time this week, is into his third final in Barcelona, where he has a 16-4 record.
The 24-year-old is now 20-5 on the season, having won his first 10 matches of the year before losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final. Tsitsipas is coming off a fourth-round appearance in Miami and the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals last week.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Stefanos Tsitsipas head-to-head
Alcaraz has won his three previous meetings with Tsitsipas, including the pair's only meeting on clay in the Barcelona quarterfinals last year.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Stefanos Tsitsipas odds
(All odds as per BETMGM)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Stefanos Tsitsipas prediction
Both Alcaraz and Tsitsipas are quintessential baseliners and have pretty potent games on clay.
Alcaraz is widely regarded as one of the best young players in the sport, thanks to his big serve, powerful groundstrokes, and elite movement. Tsitsipas, on his own part, also have the same attributes, making for an intriguing title clash.
The Greek may not have had Alcaraz's number but is itching to get third-time lucky at Barcelona. Alcaraz, though, is a man on a mission as he eyes his third title of the year. Tsitsipas is 83-26 on clay, while Alcaraz is 51-12.
It's a tough match to call, considering the pedigree of both players, but Alcaraz is expected to triumph.
Pick: Alcaraz in three sets
