Ruud and Tsitsipas Advance to Barcelona Open Quarterfinals

Barcelona, Spain — Defending champion Casper Ruud and third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas both secured spots in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Wednesday, showcasing their resilience against tough opponents.

Ruud, the second seed, outlasted qualifier Hamad Medjedovic with a score of 7-5, 7-5. The victory marks Ruud’s continued pursuit to defend his title and become only the fourth man this century to achieve back-to-back wins in Barcelona, joining the elite company of 11-time champion Rafael Nadal.

After conceding an early break in the first game, Ruud rallied to even the score at 4-4, saving nine of 11 break points throughout the match, including three from 0-40 during a pivotal game at 5-5 in the first set. “I saved some really important break points and broke him at 6-5 in both sets. I’m proud of my mentality today,” Ruud said post-match. He has now won all his matches in Barcelona since his title run began in 2024.

On the other side of the draw, Tsitsipas overcame American Sebastian Korda with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory. The Greek player, who has made it into five consecutive quarter-finals in Barcelona, did not face a single break point in the match. Tsitsipas will next meet seventh-seeded Frenchman Arthur Fils, who defeated Spain’s Pedro Martinez 6-3, 6-2 in his own quarter-final appearance.

“I think Fils is a great competitor,” Tsitsipas noted. “I’ve played him twice and had no luck, so I must change a few things going into this match.” This season has seen Tsitsipas achieve a record of 17 quarter-final appearances in 19 clay events since the start of 2022.

Holger Rune, the 13th-ranked player, also staged a comeback from a set down to defeat Sebastian Baez 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. After a slow start characterized by 15 unforced errors, Rune settled in to break Baez three times in the final sets, converting his third match point to conclude the contest. Rune’s resilience comes after withdrawing from the Monte Carlo Masters due to food poisoning last week.

The quarterfinal lineup continues to shape up as Carlos Alcaraz, the top seed, prepares to face Laslo Djere on Thursday. Alcaraz, a two-time defending champion at the Barcelona Open, aims for his third title this season, having recently clinched victory at the Monte Carlo Masters. Reigning as the world No. 2, Alcaraz remains unbeaten on clay in Barcelona, with a record of 12-0 since his first title in 2022.