2024 Barcelona Open SATURDAY SCHEDULE and PREVIEW including TSITSIPAS and RUUD looking for a spot in the final

The ATP 500 Barcelona Open reaches its decisive stages with Saturday's semifinals at the Rafa Nadal Court. Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas are poised to vie for a second consecutive final following last week's Monte-Carlo Masters, with no tough challenges expected to hinder their path to another final.

First up on the court will be third seed Ruud, who extended his clay court record this year to 9-2 after defeating Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-3. The Norwegian has advanced in the tournament without conceding a set and is one win away from reaching his 22nd career final. He will face the challenge of Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry (13th seed), who defeated Cameron Norrie 7-6(4), 7-6(1).

The second match of the day will feature Stefanos Tsitsipas, the standout performer in the clay swing so far with a streak of 9 consecutive wins, three of which came against top-10 players. In the quarterfinals, Tsitsipas faced the least experienced opponent at this stage, Facundo Diaz Acosta (No. 53), a 23-year-old who had never advanced in an ATP 500 draw. However, the Argentine came close to causing an upset but Tsitsipas eventually secured the victory 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(8).

Tsitsipas still awaits the winner of the match between Dusan Lajovic and 19-year-old Frenchman Arthur Fils, which closes the schedule on Friday, April 19th. Both players have surprised this week. In Lajovic's case, he advanced past the first round after defeating Diego Schwartzman, then eliminated 6th seed Ugo Humbert in the second round, and in the round of 16 overcame local hope Alejandro Davidovic Fokina (11th seed).

Fils also had an impressive week. He had a brief encounter in the first round and faced Daniel Altmaier in his debut, surviving a tough match. In the round of 16, he surprised 4th seed Alex De Minaur, who had eliminated Rafael Nadal, reaching the quarterfinals of a tournament for the third time this season, and the second on clay since the Chile Open.