By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday April 22, 2021
Stefanos Tsitsipas powered to another decisive victory to set a quarterfinal clash with Felix Auger-Aliassime in Barcelona.
Photo Source: Photo: Manuel Queimadelos/ Quality Sport Images
The youth movement is alive and well at the Barcelona Open. Several members of the ATP's generation next powered into the last eight on Thursday, including Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The No.5-ranked Greek, a champion last week at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, defeated Alex de Minaur, 7-5, 6-3 to improve to an impressive 24-5 on the season. Tsitsipas has reached at least the quarterfinals of all seven events he has played in 2021, and he has won the last 13 sets he has played.
Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime is enjoying an uptick in form under the tutelage of Toni Nadal. The Canadian took down his compatriot Denis Shapovalov, 6-2, 6-3 to book his spot in the quarterfinals.
Auger-Aliassime, playing in just his second event since announcing his official partnership with the legendary Nadal, has lost three straight matches to Tsitsipas, including a three-setter at Acapulco this year.
Another showdown in this budding rivalry will be a great litmus test for the level of the Canadian’s game on clay.
Sinner and Rublev ease through
Speaking of young guns, how about the performance of 19-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner? For the third time in 2021, he has taken down Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut. Today, for the first time, he even did it in straight sets, 7-6(9), 6-2, to book a clash with Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.
Rublev has not been pleased with his form this week in Barcelona, and yet here is the Russian, the ATP’s current win leader in 2021, into the quarterfinals. Today Rublev toppled Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4. The No.3 seed leads the ATP Tour with 67 wins and six titles since the start of 2020, and he improves to 26-6 on the season.
Rublev and Sinner have met before, but the contest only lasted three games as Sinner was forced to retire in the pair’s round of 16 clash at Vienna in 2020.