Stefanos Tsitsipas booked his third championship-match appearance at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Saturday by digging deep for a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 win against Lorenzo Musetti at the clay-court ATP 500.
The second-seeded Greek cooly rebounded from losing a closely fought second set to accelerate away in the decider for a two-hour, 29-minute victory. The Greek’s most destructive weapons, his serve and forehand, were particularly instrumental as Tsitsipas improved his perfect record against Musetti to 4-0.
“It was very physical out there,” said Tsitsipas, who now holds a 16-4 record in Barcelona. “We had to cover lots of metres on the court and he had some incredible defensive shots that I really didn’t expect at all. It was such a mental challenge, I had to go out there and fight it all through [with] the determination of a lion, and just [went] out there to do the best I can.
“He’s a very difficult challenge, especially on this court, so it required a little bit more today.”
Tsitsipas had not dropped serve across three matches in Barcelona prior to Saturday’s semi-final clash, but that record was quickly snapped by Musetti on Pista Rafa Nadal when the Italian broke in the third game. That set the tone for a meeting in which both players excelled on return, with Tsitsipas ultimately converting six of his 11 break points to Musetti’s five out of 10.
Two short bursts at important moments proved decisive for Tsitsipas to clinch the win and improve to 20-5 for the season. The Greek reeled off three games in a row from a break down at 3-4 in the opening set, and later raced into a 4-0 lead in the decider to halt his opponent’s momentum after Musetti had levelled the match.
The 24-year-old Tsitsipas was also a finalist in Barcelona in 2018 and 2021, when he twice fell to Rafael Nadal. He could face another home favourite in this year’s championship match, Carlos Alcaraz, if the top-seeded Spaniard can defeat Daniel Evans in Saturday’s second semi-final.
“Getting myself out there for another chance [to win the Barcelona title], my will is strong and so is my heart,” said Tsitsipas, who will play for his first title of 2023 on Sunday in Catalunya. “I go out there and give it a go and try the best I can. Nothing [negative] at all. Just enjoy this.”
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