Carlos Alcaraz vs Daniel Evans Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Barcelona

Prediction published on 22/04/2023, 04:20  by Kennedy Kechula | Modified on 22/04/2023 at 14:02 in Tennis Predictions

Carlos Alcaraz is two wins away from retaining his Barcelona Open title and on Saturday he takes on 12th seed Daniel Evans in the semifinals. Alcaraz, seeded top, and Evans have met once before, in Vienna back in 2021 and in that first-round matchup, Alcaraz won in straight sets on his way to the semifinals. The Spaniard will hope for the same outcome again here which will in turn set up a final showdown with either second seed and two-time finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas or ninth seed Lorenzo Musetti. This is Alcaraz’s fifth semi-final of the season and he has lost only one of the previous four, at the Miami Open to Jannik Sinner. That loss denied him the chance to retain the title he won last year and he will be keen to not let that happen again. In the other three semi-final wins, he has gone on to win two of the corresponding finals in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells with his only final loss this season coming in Rio. The world number two is arguably the form player this season and has lost just twice, winning 21 of the 23 matches he has played. Three of those wins have come in Barcelona where he is yet to drop a set.

Daniel Evans is nowhere close to the season that Alcaraz is having and will have to be at his absolute best for this tie and even that might not be enough to see him win. The Brit has had a rocky start to the campaign and so far has a losing record with 11 losses and eight wins from the 19 matches he has played. Evans has always struggled throughout his career on clay but somehow this season he has found more success on the surface than on his preferred hard courts. Five of his eight wins have come on clay and he even shocked sixth seed Karen Khachanov in the third round to win in straight sets. His success in Barcelona, where he is through to his first-ever semifinal in his fifth appearance, has seen him rise in the world ranking and is now up to number 24 in the live rank. Progressing to his fourth ATP tour final will see him move up to 23rd.