Barcelona Open 2024 final: Casper Ruud vs Stefanos Tsitsipas preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (3) Casper Ruud vs (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas

Date: April 21, 2024

Tournament: Barcelona Open

Round: Final

Venue: Real Club de Tenis Barcelona

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Clay

Prize Money: €2,782,960

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN3

Casper Ruud vs Stefanos Tsitsipas preview

Top-10 players Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas have set up a showdown for the title of the 2024 Barcelona Open on Sunday.

Ruud ousted Alexandre Muller, Jordan Thompson and Matteo Arnaldi to book a semifinal date against 13th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry. After trading breaks, Etcheverry saved a couple of set points on serve at 6-5 to force a tie-break, which Ruud won.

The Norwegian started the second set with a break, but Etcheverry broke back immediately. Ruud then went on a three-game run to secure a 7-6 (6), 6-4 win.

Tsitsipas, meanwhie, secured wins over Sebastian Ofner, Roberto Carballes Baena and Facundo Diaz Acosta to reach the semifinals. He was up against Dusan Lajovic for a spot in the championship round.

A close first set went the way of Lajovic, who broke Tsitsipas in the 12th game. The Greek, though, raised his level and captured the second set. He didn't take his foot off the pedal in the decider, racing to a 5-1 lead enroute a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 victory.

Casper Ruud vs Stefanos Tsitsipas head-to-head

The two have split their prior four meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 2-2. Tsitsipas won their previous encounter at last week's Monte-Carlo Masters in straight sets.

Casper Ruud vs Stefanos Tsitsipas odds

Player	Moneyline
Casper Ruud	-110
Stefanos Tsitsipas	+100

(Odds are sourced from Oddschecker)

Casper Ruud vs Stefanos Tsitsipas prediction

Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Barcelona Open.

Tsitsipas staged a comeback to survive his quarterfinal and did the same against Lajovic in the semis. He's riding a 10-match winning streak as he seeks his second title in as many weeks.

Ruud, meanwhile, has brushed aside all his opponents this week in straight sets. He crossed paths with Tsitsipas last week in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters, which the Greek won 6-1, 6-4. All four matches between them have been decided in straight sets.

There's a lot on the line for both of them. Tsitsipas is 0-10 in finals at the ATP 500 level, while Ruud is yet to win a title above the ATP 250 category. One player will end his streak, though.

Tsitsipas has looked vulnerable in his last couple of matches. If he's off to a slow start once again, he could find it tough to stage another escape act. If Ruud handles his nerves better, he could emerge victorious.

Pick: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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Edited by Rohit