Barcelona QF previews and predictions: Sinner vs. Musetti, Cerundolo vs. Evans

Jannik Sinner takes on fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti in Friday’s quarterfinal lineup in Barcelona, one step closer to a possible matchup with Carlos Alcaraz. Francisco Cerundolo will also be in action against Dan Evans.

(4) Jannik Sinner vs. (9) Lorenzo Musetti

If this Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell match looks familiar to you, it’s because Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti just played last week in Monte-Carlo–also in the quarterfinals. The two Italians are both in good form on the dirt. Musetti in particular is playing his best tennis of the season. He even got an elusive win over Novak Djokovic en route to his Monte-Carlo quarterfinal match with Sinner. Good form wasn’t enough to protect Musetti, however. Sinner rolled over his countryman, notching a 6-2, 6-2 trouncing.

Sinner is still looking for his first big title of the season. The 21-year-old sits at a career-high No. 8 in the world, but he has just one 250 title so far in Montpellier. He lost a heartbreaker to Holger Rune in the semifinals last week, which was preceded by appearances in the finals of Rotterdam and Miami (lost to Daniil Medvedev both times).

This should be another straightforward win for Sinner. The No. 4 seed is playing some of the best tennis of his career and he is carrying plenty of confidence.

Cheryl pick: Sinner in 2

Ricky pick: Sinner in 2

(15) Francisco Cerundolo vs. (12) Daniel Evans

Somewhat surprisingly, Francisco Cerundolo and Dan Evans already have a previous match on clay. They met last year on the clay courts of Roland Garros, where Evans won in straight sets. This time, however, Cerundolo is the player in better form. The world No. 32 made the quarterfinals in Miami last month. He bowed out of Monte-Carlo in the second round, but he has righted the ship this week by upsetting 2022 French Open finalist Casper Ruud in the third round on Thursday. Cerundolo now has a great shot at reaching at least the semifinals.

Evans has been in absolutely miserable form this year. Prior to this week he was 5-11 on the season. The Brit posted a solid win over Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the third round, and his form has improved in the past few weeks. Still, clay has been his least successful surface. With Cerundolo playing well again, expect the Argentine to advance to the semifinals.

Cheryl pick: Cerundolo in 2

Ricky pick: Cerundolo in 2