Barcelona Open 2023: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alex de Minaur preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (8) Alex de Minaur.
Date: April 21, 2023.
Tournament: Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2023.
Round: Quarterfinal.
Venue: Real Club de Tenis Barcelona.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €2,722,480.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alex de Minaur preview
Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on World No. 19 Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Barcelona Open on Friday.
After a first-round bye, Tsitsipas knocked out Pedro Cachin in straight sets to set up a third-round date against Denis Shapovalov. The Greek was off to a fast start as he secured an early break of serve to go 3-1 up. He broke his opponent's serve once again towards the end to claim the opener.
Shapovalov was able to keep up with Tsitsipas at the start of the second set, but the latter ran away with the match after a while. The World No. 5 bagged four games in a row to register a 6-3, 6-2 victory and reach the quarterfinals for the third straight year.
De Minaur received a first-round bye here as well, following which he was up against Alexander Shevchenko in the second round. The Australian dished out a bagel to clinch the first set. He continued to dominate his opponent in the second set as well.
De Minaur jumped to a 4-0 lead before Shevchenko halted his momentum with a hold of serve. The 24-year old nabbed the next couple of games to win the match 6-0, 6-1. He was due to face Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. Unfortunately, the Bulgarian withdrew due to illness, sending de Minaur into the last eight via a walkover.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alex de Minaur head-to-head
Tsitsipas leads de Minaur 8-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 Miami Open in straight sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alex de Minaur odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alex de Minaur prediction
Tsitsipas has cruised through both of his matches here so far. He didn't have much to do against Shapovalov in the previous round as the Canadian's frequent errors only made it easier for him to win. The Greek won 73% of his first serve points and didn't drop his serve even once.
De Minuar was totally dominant against Shevchenko and got a lucky break against Dimitrov. He'll need to raise his level by a significant margin if he wants to finally score a win over Tsitsipas.
Having lost eight matches in a row against the World No. 5, de Minaur will be aiming to finally unravel the Tsitsipas puzzle. The Australian is quick on his feet and has the ability to turn defense into offense with his dogged style of play. But that hasn't been enough so far.
Tsitsipas hasn't been at this best since his run to the Australian Open final. His backhand, along with his serve, hasn't been too consistent over the past few weeks. However, given their lopsided head-to-head, it's tough to bet against the Greek in this encounter.
Pick: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in straight sets.