Barcelona Open 2024 Day 5: Men's singles predictions ft. Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Facundo Diaz Acosta

Players will duke it out in the quarterfinals on Day 5 of the 2024 Barcelona Open.

Stefanos Tsitsipas seems to be on track to reach his fourth final at the venue as he has made his way to the quarterfinals. Casper Ruud is also one of the quarterfinalists here and is the only other top-10 player left in the draw besides the Greek.

The two could collide in yet another final over the weekend. They previously faced off in the final of last week's Monte-Carlo Masters, which was won by Tsitsipas. Cameron Norrie, Matteo Arnaldi, and Arthur Fils are some of the other well-known names who've qualified for the quarterfinals as well.

With the finish line well within sight, players will be eager to take another step closer to the final. Here's a look at the predictions for all the matches set for Day 5 of the Barcelona Open:

#1 - Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Facundo Diaz Acosta

Tsitsipas scored a 7-5, 6-3 win over Roberto Carballes Baena to reach the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open. He also extended his winning streak to eight matches, which started with his title-winning run at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Diaz Acosta began his run here with a straight sets win over Daniel Rincon. He then upset 15th seed Borna Coric and next staged a comeback to oust 17th seed Fabian Marozsan.

Diaz Acosta has now reached his third quarterfinal of the season, all of which have been on clay. He also won a title on the surface back in February at the Argentina Open.

After a slow start to the season, Tsitsipas finally seems to have found his footing. Diaz Acosta has proven to be a threat on clay with his results. However, the Greek has raised his level over the past fortnight which should help him continue his journey here.

Predicted winner: Stefanos Tsitsipas

#2 - Casper Ruud vs Matteo Arnaldi

Ruud defeated Alexandre Muller 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round, where he faced Jordan Thompson. He lost to the Australian in the final of the Los Cabos Open a couple of months ago.

Ruud avenged that loss as he beat Thompson 6-1, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open. Arnaldi moved into the second round after Arthur Cazaux retired during their opener.

The Italian then eliminated eighth seed Sebastian Baez, after which he scored a 6-3, 6-0 win over Marco Trungelliti to make the last eight here. Arnaldi has already scored a win over Ruud in their only prior meeting, which was at the 2023 Madrid Open.

However, Ruud wasn't at his best for most of 2023. He has played with a different mindset this year which has translated into better results. Arnaldi is a talented young player on the rise but Ruud should be able to even this rivalry with a win this time.

Predicted winner: Casper Ruud

#3 - Cameron Norrie vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry

Norrie's ranking has slowly slipped since the start of the season and has fallen from No. 18 to No. 31. He needed a good result this week to maintain his ranking in the seeded range for the French Open.

Norrie scored wins over Harold Mayot and Roberto Bautista Agut to make the last eight of the Barcelona Open. Etcheverry fought back from a set down to defeat Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 and advance to the quarterfinals. He improved his record on clay to 8-5 with his latest win.

Both players have struggled against quality opposition this year as they each have only two wins over players ranked in the top 50 so far. One of them is going to break the trend and Etcheverry seems likely to do so given his superior track record on clay this season.

Predicted winner: Tomas Martin Etcheverry

#4 - Arthur Fils vs Dusan Lajovic

Fils faced Alex de Minaur, who previously vanquished Rafael Nadal, in the third round and bested him 7-5, 6-2 to move into the quarterfinals. Lajovic has played some impressive tennis this week as he has ousted some big names.

The Serb knocked out former top 10 player Diego Schwartzman in the first round. He next scored wins over sixth seed Ugo Humbert and 11th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to reach the Barcelona Open quarterfinals for the first time in his career.

Out of Lajovic's 10 wins this season, seven have been on clay, while Fils' record on the surface stands at 5-5. The latter's win over de Minaur was his biggest win of the season.

Fils seems to be rounding into form but he will need to raise his level even further against Lajovic. The Serb usually plays his best tennis on clay and given his performance this week, he could put the young Frenchman in a spot of bother.

Predicted winner: Dusan Lajovic