2022 Barcelona Open: Carlos Alcaraz humbles Stefanos Tsitsipas in quarters
Fifth seed Carlos Alcaraz pummeled world number five, Stefanos Tsitsipas, in the quarter-finals of the ongoing Barcelona Open. The Spaniard beat the number one seed 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 at the Pista Rafa Nadal court. Meanwhile, Argentine Diego Schwartzman and eighth seed Pablo Carreno-Busta have advanced further. The duo will take on each other in the semis. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
Alcaraz, who will be facing Alex de Minaur in the semis, is chasing his third trophy of this season. Notably, it would be his second in April given he had won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami. On Monday, the 18-year-old would become only the 20th teenager to enter the Top 10 ATP rankings. Surprisingly, Alcaraz is still in his early stages.
Alcaraz to enter record books!
Alcaraz edges past Tsitsipas
Alcaraz has now extended his lead over Tsitsipas by 3-0 in their career meetings. The former garnered 94 points to Tsitsipas' 76. Alcaraz won 71% of the points on his first serve. He would next face tenth seed Alex de Minaur later this evening. It would be their first match-up in a tennis tournament.
Alcaraz enjoys a 21-3 win record in 2022
The Spaniard won the prestigious 1000 Masters Miami Open and Rio Open (ATP 500), his first titles at these events. He finished as the semi-finalist in the Indian Wells Masters. He was ousted in the third round of the Australian Open and the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters. In 2021, he won the Croatia Open.
Minaur has stamped a 16-7 record this season
The former world number 15 is yet to win an event this season. He finished as the quarter-finalist in the Rotterdam Open. He was ousted in the fourth round of the Australian Open and Indian Wells Masters. Minaur exited in the third round of the Miami Open, the second round of Monte-Carlo Masters, and the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
A look at Minaur's career achievements
To date, Minaur has won five titles (ATP 250) in Men's singles. In 2019, he won the BB&T Atlanta Open, Sydney International, and Zhuhai Open. Last year, Minaur claimed the Nature Valley International and Antalya Open.
Schwartzman to face Busta in the semis
Sixth seed Diego Schwartzman will be facing Pablo Carreno-Busta of Spain in the semis. Schwartzman trails 1-2 in the match-ups to Busta. The Argentine heads into this contest on the back of a win against Felix Auger-Aliassime. Schwartzman beat the number three seed 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Meanwhile, Spaniard Pablo Busta outwitted second seed, Casper Ruud, 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-3.
