Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas both won their matches in the Barcelona Open on Friday, moving them closer to facing each other in the final for the second time in a row.
Ruud defeated Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-3, marking his 27th win of the season, the most so far. Meanwhile, Tsitsipas had a tough match against Facundo Díaz, rallying from behind to win 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8).
Tsitsipas struggled with his serve, making seven double faults, one of which led to him losing a crucial point when he was close to winning the match.
Despite this, he managed to save match points and eventually win.
“I think having experienced many matches like this before definitely helps,” Tsitsipas commented. “I knew anything could happen at any moment.”
Tsitsipas recently won the Monte Carlo title by defeating Ruud. Ruud, on the other hand, is aiming for his fourth final appearance this year. He will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry next, while Tsitsipas will play against Dusan Lajovic.
