Tsitsipas overcomes spirited Lajovic challenge to reach fourth Barcelona Open final
Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Dusan Lajovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 at the Barcelona Open to set up a rematch of the Monte-Carlo final against Casper Ruud
Stefanos Tsitsipas reaches final of 2024 Barcelona Open Aflo / Panoramic
Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his fourth Barcelona Open final courtesy of an impressive comeback win against a spirited Dusan Lajovic, recovering from a one-set deficit to beat the Serb 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
The world No 7 ensured there would be a rematch of the Monte-Carlo Masters final against Casper Ruud, with the Norwegian having reached the final with a fine win over Etcheverry earlier in the day.
Tsitsipas has never won the title in Barcelona, despite having made the final on three previous occasions, reaching the showpiece event last year when he lost to an irrepressible Carlos Alcaraz.
However, Tsitsipas is now on a ten-match winning streak having won his third Monte-Carlo Masters title last week, and he will face a player whom he recently defeated in that final.
Lajovic’s impressive display made for an entertaining semi-final. A closely-fought first set went on serve until the twelfth and final game, with the Serb making the crucial breakthrough when a tiebreak had looked all but inevitable.
Trailing by a set brought out the best of Tsitsipas, however, as a single break in the second stanza was enough for the Greek to take the set and gain parity at 1-1.
After two highly competitive opening sets, Lajovic’s resistance faded in the decider as Tsitsipas began swinging freely to earn himself two breaks without reply and close out a deserved win.
tsitsipas and ruud set for monte-carlo rematch in barcelona
“I’m expecting a much better version of what I had in Monte Carlo,” Tsitsipas said when asked about a rematch with Ruud in the final.
“We had a good match there. Of course these kind of matches are tricky. Playing back to back. You try to see what works best for you. The opponent is trying to get as good as he can for the next one.
“I’m going to try to work, starting by having a good recovery. Working tomorrow for the big day I’m being faced with.”
Ruud has quietly put together a thoroughly impressive season. He has now reached four finals in 2024, and currently leads the ATP Tour with match wins for the year. However, he has yet to win any of those finals, and was comprehensively outplayed by Tsitsipas in a disappointing Monte-Carlo final last week.
Tsitsipas will likely face a very different prospect in Sunday’s final in Barcelona, however, with Ruud being a player who learns quickly from past failures.
It should be a fascinating match-up between the clay-court season’s two early pace-setters.
