Tsitsipas, Alcaraz reach Barcelona Open quarters
Barcelona, April 20
Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open by defeating Denis Shapovalov 6-3 6-2 today. The second-seeded Greek saved both break points he faced against the Canadian to move to 18-5 for the season. “I tried to stay as aggressive as I could from the baseline,” Tsitsipas said. “Against Denis you have to keep up with the pace and be ready to attack when you can. It wasn’t easy out here but I did a very good job. I was responsible with my decision making. It was a good day.”
Tsitsipas will next face Alex de Minaur, who advanced with a walkover from Grigor Dimitrov. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3 7-5 in a match between Spaniards.
Fourth-seeded Jannik Sinner defeated Yoshihito Nishioka 6-1 4-6 6-3 to reach his seventh quarterfinal of the season. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina defeated Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4 7-5.
Zverev upset as Rune wins
Munich: After waiting an extra day to get on court at the BMW Open, Alexander Zverev’s tournament was ended in straight sets by Christopher O’Connell today. Zverev had a first-round bye and his second-round match with O’Connell was delayed a day after rain washed out most of the Wednesday schedule.
Playing 82nd-ranked O’Connell in cold conditions, Zverev never built much momentum and struggled to land his first serves as he was defeated 7-6(2) 6-4. — AP
Nadal out of Madrid Open
Madrid: Rafael Nadal will miss the Madrid Open next week because his recovery from a hip injury is going much slower than expected. The 22-time Grand Slam winner has been sidelined since January at the Australian Open. The issue has kept him from the Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona tournaments so far. “(This injury) was supposed to keep me out six to eight weeks, but I have been out 14,” Nadal said on Instagram. ap
