Stefanos Tsitsipas will face Casper Ruud in an ATP final for the second week in a row, as they'll meet at the 2024 Barcelona Open.
Not many people paid attention to the Norwegian player at the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona this week, but he quietly produced another solid week, making yet another final.
He is having a very consistent year, as this is his fourth final this year, but he has yet to win a trophy. That's what he's missing, and he'll try to get it done on Sunday in Barcelona.
The opponent is a familiar one in Tsitsipas, as they played recently, in the Monte-Carlo Masters, and he couldn't get it done that day. Now is a new chance for Ruud, but also for the Greek.
Ruud and Tsitsipas have played a handful of times, and their H2H has been level so far. This year, we saw two matches, and Ruud won the one in Mexico when he made the Los Cabos Open final, while Tsitsipas won the Monte-Carlo Masters final a few days ago, which was a comfortable win for Tsitsipas.
That doesn't mean the final in Barcelona will go the same way because this court likely fits Ruud a bit more, and fatigue will also be in play.
Tsitispas played a long match in the semi-final, and he looked fatigued all week long. Ruud looked a bit better in that regard, so he's certainly more likely to win tomorrow than last week.
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | Casper Ruud | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | H2H | 2 |
| 7 | Rank | 6 |
| 25 | Age | 25 |
| 21-6 | 2024 W/L | 28-7 |
| 321-149 | Career W/L | 235-122 |
Even with all of that, I expect the Greek player to win the event. He's played in the final in Barcelona before, and he's certainly a tremendous clay player, so I think he'll get it done once more.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.