Top contenders to seize a maiden Barcelona Open title
With Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz out, who will win his first Barcelona Open title?
By Noé Kaplan
Rafael Nadal's comeback is great news for tennis although Alex de Minaur stopped him in the second round of the Barcelona Open. With 12-time champion Nadal out of the tournament and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz not playing due to injury. no other players in the draw have won the Barcelona Open.
As a result, Barcelona will crown a new champion. Apart from its long history, this tournament will give the winner great confidence for the last clay tournament before the Madrid 1000 Masters.
Predicting the future is impossible, and in tennis, upsets can happen. The most recent example is Djokovic's loss at Indian Wells. With that in mind, let's look at three players with the highest probability of winning.
Who has the best chance to win in Barcelona?
Stefanos Tsitsipas is coming off an impressive run to the title at the Monte Carlo Masters, beating top 10 players Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner, and Casper Ruud in the final. After reaching the finals in the Australian Open in 2023, Stefanos had a year with ups and downs, eventually falling out of the top 10. Monte Carlo marked a shift and gave him great momentum. He has been a runner-up 3 times in Barcelona, including last year giving the Greek player the best chance to win the title.
Casper Ruud, the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters finalist who defeated Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, has a fair chance of claiming the tournament. Ruud plays some of his best tennis on the clay. He was a finalist at the 2022 and 2023 French Open. Will 'Conde de Godo' trophy be his first title of the year?
Alex de Minaur enters the discussion. De Minaur is having a great 2024 launching him into the Top 10 for the first time in his career. He also defeated Rafael Nadal on the court named after Nadal in Barcelona. De Minaur has wins over Ruud and Tsitsipas in Acapulco this year giving the Australian star an excellent chance to win this title.
Will one of these three players win the Barcelona Open, or will it be an unexpected player to seize his first Barcelona Open title? Watch a new champion be crowned on the Tennis Channel on Sunday, April 21.
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