Rafael Nadal continues his quest for a 12th Barcelona title on Friday against unseeded Brit Cameron Norrie, Meanwhile, Monte-Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on familiar foe Felix Auger-Aliassime.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. Cameron Norrie
Rafael Nadal has already looked across the net at Cameron Norrie in 2021. The two men met at the Australian Open, where Nadal won in straight sets despite nursing a back injury that kept him off the practice court for a while prior to the clay-court season.
The Spaniard had a shaky start to the European clay swing. He was knocked out of Monte-Carlo in the quarters by world Andrey Rublev. The world No. 3 hasn’t enjoyed his usual devastating form this week either. He has dropped sets in both of his matches so far, first to qualifier Ilya Ivashka and then in the third round to Kei Nishikori.
Following his three-set win over Nishikori, Nadal said, “So the past three matches that I played were three sets and I don’t take something negative. For me it’s something very positive. I need time on court, I need to go through these moments and the past two matches I went through these moments with a victory. Tomorrow is another opportunity. I’m excited to keep playing and another chance to play better.”
Cameron Norrie earned his quarterfinal spot on a third-round retirement from David Goffin with a right-hip injury. The Brit also dispatched Italian Salvatore Caruso in the first round and upset Russian Karen Khachanov in the second.
Despite the fact that Nadal is still shaking off the rust from his injury and looks more vulnerable than he usually does against the backdrop of crushed red brick, the top seed should still find his way into the semis.
Cheryl pick: Nadal in 2
Ricky pick: Nadal in 2
(2) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (10) Felix Auger-Aliassime
This quarterfinal offers an intriguing matchup between two young, in-form players. Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is the world No. 5, just captured his first ever Masters title in Monte-Carlo–where he shellacked Rublev in the final. Tsitispas has continued his excellent form in Barcelona. The Greek star has taken out Jaume Munar and Alex de Minaur so far this week.
Felix Auger-Aliassime hasn’t enjoyed quite the success as his Friday opponent. The world No. 20 has earned himself a spot in seven different finals in his career, but he has yet to pocket a title. The Canadian dispatched the talented Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the second round and countryman Denis Shapovalov in the third.
Auger-Aliassime and Tsitsipas have already met 5 times, but Tsitsipas has won their last three encounters. The Greek also came into this week off one of the biggest wins of his career. Tsitsipas is playing excellent tennis in the leadup to the French Open, and he should find himself in the semifinals.
Cheryl pick: Tsitsipas in 2
Ricky pick: Tsitsipas in 2
Leave a Reply