Tsitsipas Keeps Cruising In Barcelona & Books Semifinal Spot Against Musetti
ATP
After a sensational run in Melbourne, Stefanos Tsitsipas struggled to find his top form but he's back at it at the 2023 Barcelona Open.
His bad form was an immediate consequence of an injury that he played through in Indian Wells and Miami. Ahead of the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Greek declared that an injury is not bothering him anymore, but he left disappointed after a loss to Taylor Fritz.
Despite the disappointing streak for Tsitsipas, he stated that he feels that a Grand Slam title can come soon and he's doing everything to prepare well for the upcoming Roland Garros as he's yet to lose a set at the 2023 Barcelona Open where he reached already the quarterfinals.
After ousting Pedro Cachin and Denis Shapovalov, the Greek took on the eighth-seeded Alex de Minaur who didn't have to play his third-round match after Grigor Dimitrov's withdrawal. But the Australian couldn't use the rest to his advantage as his opponent proved to be just too good.
Tsitsipas got off to a good start in the first set, breaking already in the third game. The world no. 5 was then able to keep his advantage throughout the set, especially thanks to his exceptional serving.
The Greek player won 20 of 27 points on his serve and didn't allow De Minaur to have any break points. After 41 minutes of play in the opener, Tsitsipas won the first set 6-4, winning fifth consecutive set in Barcelona this year.
But the second seed wasn't happy with a one-set lead, he wanted to finish the match early. After both players traded holds to love in the opening tow games, Tsitsipas started his returning masterclass, breaking the following two service games of his opponent and building a big two-break lead.
He then controlled the remainder of the match, winning 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals of the 2023 Barcelona Open. He will be playing against Lorenzo Musetti, who similarly to his quarterfinal opponent, didn't have to play his last match after Jannik Sinner's withdrawal from the event.
