Jun 4, 2024; Paris, France; Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the net with Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece after their match on day 10 of Roland Garros at Stade Roland Garros.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas Shrugs Off Carlos Alcaraz ‘Ruining His Dream’ of Winning ATP Barcelona Open 2025 Title

Alcaraz and Tsitsipas are in the same half of the draw this week.

Jun 4, 2024; Paris, France; Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the net with Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece after their match on day 10 of Roland Garros at Stade Roland Garros.

After a strong Monaco swing, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Carlos Alcaraz travelled to Catalonia for the 2025 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell this week. While Tsitsipas was the defending champion in Monte Carlo, it was Alcaraz who stole the trophy out of his grasp this year. The Greek maestro is also a four-time finalist at the ATP Barcelona Open, but hasn’t crossed the ultimate hurdle yet. Can he do so in 2025?

Arguably his strongest surface, Stefanos Tsitsipas has excelled on the red dirt over the years. He is a three-time champion in Monte Carlo, and a former runner-up at Roland Garros, Madrid, Rome and Barcelona. With the rise of Carlos Alcaraz however, there is a new challenge that awaits Tsitsipas. The 21-year-old is the reigning Roland Garros champion. Seeded No. 1 and No. 3 in Barcelona this year, Alcaraz and Tsitsipas will potentially battle it out for a spot in the championship bout.

Stefanos Tsitsipas Adamant on Having “Blocked Out Fear” of Carlos Alcaraz and Others in Barcelona

A former World No. 3, Tsitsipas has slipped to 16th in the ATP Rankings after failing to retain his crown at the Principality. However, he has opened his Barcelona campaign in fine style – earning convincing straight sets victories over Reilly Opelka and Sebastian Korda. With a potential summit clash against ‘Carlitos’ on the cards, the two-time Grand Slam finalist re-asserted that he is not fearful of the competition across the net.

“So far, I’ve blocked any fear, I’ve blocked any uncertainty,” Tsitsipas stated when asked about fearing players like Alcaraz. The single-handed backhand specialist takes on another young gun in Arthur Fils in Friday’s quarterfinal. “I’m not going to let anyone try ruining my dream of winning here. I don’t want anyone to get in the way and make me feel any type of fear or uncertainty.”

A Filsipas quarterfinal is set 🍿

Arthur leads the H2H 2-0 but will Stef secure his first win over the Frenchman? 🤔

Stream the action on Tennis Channel this Friday to find out 📲#BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/8T8P9NN27b
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) April 16, 2025

On Wednesday, Tsitsipas was able to avenge his Miami Open loss to Sebastian Korda in the Barcelona Open Round of 16. The 26-year-old didn’t face a single break point throughout the match, and emerged a 7-6(4) 6-4 victor. In the same half, Alcaraz overcame rust and fatigue to defeat Ethan Quinn in straight sets.

Tsitsipas is a 4-time Finalist in Barcelona

While Stefanos Tsitsipas is yet to taste glory in the Spanish hub, he has reached the final on four separate occasions. Back in 2018, clay court king Rafael Nadal was bidding to complete the ‘La Undecima’ and win his record-extending 11th title at the event. Facing Tsitsipas in the final, Nadal cruised to a 6-2 6-1 win. In the first edition of the competition after the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, the two players faced off in a finals rematch.

Yet again, it was the southpaw who emerged victorious. However, it was a much tighter 6-4 6-7(6) 7-5 scoreline on this occasion. Athens’ homegrown talent also made it to the final of the two most recent Barcelona Opens – losing to Carlos Alcaraz in 2023 and Casper Ruud in 2024. By entering the quarterfinal in 2025, Tsitsipas has now reached the last eight in five consecutive editions of the tournament.

Will 2025 finally be the year when Stefanos Tsitsipas scales the ultimate peak at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona? Or will there be a similar tale with Alcaraz or Ruud taking the trophy home? We will get all our answers in a few days.

ATP

ATP 500

ATP Masters 1000

Barcelona Open

Carlos Alcaraz

Casper Ruud

Monte Carlo Masters

Rafael Nadal

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.