Barcelona SF preview and prediction: Alcaraz vs. Fils

Carlos Alcaraz and Arthur Fils will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time in the last two weeks when they meet again in the semifinals of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Saturday.

They just faced each other for the first time in the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters, where Alcaraz prevailed 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. Fils could see the finish line of a straight-set victory when Alcaraz served at 5-5, 0-40 in the second set, but the Spaniard simply refused to lose and not only won that match but also went on to lift the trophy.

That means there has been a lot of tennis in a short amount of time for Alcaraz. On the bright side, he has conserved energy with a routine path through the Barcelona bracket–much unlike the case in Monte-Carlo. The would No. 2 did not drop a set in his first three matches against Ethan Quinn, Laslo Djere, and Alex de Minaur.

Fils has bounced back from his heartbreaker against Alcaraz last Friday by maintaining his fine form in Barca. The 20-year-old Frenchman erased Pablo Carreno Busta and Pedro Martinez in straight sets before getting a first-set retirement from Stefanos Tsitsipas. Up to 14th in the rankings, Fils has reached at least the quarterfinals of four consecutive tournaments–including three Masters 1000s.

The underdog is on fire and also well rested, so an upset would not come as a massive surprise. And although Alcaraz is motivated to succeed in front of the home crowd, this is not exactly Roland Garros. He has bigger fish to fry coming up.

Pick: Fils in 3