Tennis: Our Predictions for the ATP Barcelona and Munich Tournaments This Week
by Tyler Doty | by Tyler Doty
ATP 500 Barcelona: Top Talent in Catalonia
This week, full of tennis predictions, offers a great lineup with the always highly anticipated ATP Barcelona.
Alcaraz to Continue His Success from Monte Carlo?
The number 1 seed for this Spanish tournament is, unsurprisingly, World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, who is a two-time winner of the event in 2022 and 2023 and a loyal successor to his compatriot Rafael Nadal (who won the title 12 times). If Alcaraz aims to keep stacking up victories to close in on the retired legend’s record, he will likely enter this tournament feeling fatigued.
Indeed, although he’ll have the advantage of playing in front of his home crowd, the 21-year-old has just wrapped up a string of victories at the Monte Carlo tournament, where he won the title on Sunday against Lorenzo Musetti—his first career win there. A second consecutive success will be challenging for the Spaniard.
Casper Faces a Rude Competition
The current defending champion of the Barcelona tournament, Casper Ruud, is back this year to try to defend his title, which he won against Stefanos Tsitsipas. However, the Norwegian seems to be struggling this year, as his main achievement has been his string of 4 consecutive victories at the Dallas tournament, only to lose in the final against Canadian Denis Shapovalov.
Eliminated in the first round at Indian Wells, then in the Round of 16 at Miami, the 26-year-old began his clay season last week in Monaco but was only able to secure one win before losing in the Round of 16 to Alexei Popyrin. He likely hasn’t accumulated enough time on this surface to hope for another title in Barcelona realistically.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, Our Top Favorite?
It’s actually the 3rd seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas, who might be able to come out on top. The Greek just suffered a setback at the Monte Carlo Masters 1000, where he was there to defend his title. This title was particularly important for him, as it marked his 3rd title in the Principality. However, after winning his first two rounds against Jordan Thompson and Nuno Borges, Tsitsipas was defeated in the quarterfinals by Italy's Lorenzo Musetti, a member of the top 20, in a three-set duel.
It’s clear that the 26-year-old will want to quickly put this result behind him, which fell far short of his expectations, as well as the level of talent he’s shown in recent weeks. Winner of the Dubai tournament against Felix Auger-Aliassime in early March, Tsitsipas, who was also a finalist in Barcelona last year, will likely aim to climb the highest step this time and engrave his name on the Spanish trophy.
Our ATP Barcelona Winner Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas Wins!
ATP 500 Munich: A Tournament Always Worth Following
This Week, It's Not Just Barcelona on the Tennis Calendar! Indeed, an interesting tournament awaits us in Germany, in Munich. While the list of players may not be as star-studded on paper as in Catalonia, this tournament still gathers some excellent talents with the small yellow ball.
Jan-Lennard Struff, A Tough Double to Achieve?
The defending champion, Jan-Lennard Struff, is back this year in hopes of defending his title in front of his home crowd. However, the German is going through a rough patch in his career. Success has been hard to come by for the 34-year-old, as he arrives in Germany with a streak of 6 consecutive losses.
He failed to get past the first round in Doha, Dubai, Paribas Open, the Phoenix Challenger, Miami, and even Monte Carlo last week. With his last win dating back to February 13 against Hugo Grenier (ranked 184th), claiming the title this year looks extremely challenging.
Alexander Zverev Aiming for a 3rd Title
German player Alexander Zverev, the top seed, is very familiar with the Munich tournament, having won the title twice in 2017 and 2018. Competing in three clay-court tournaments this season, the 27-year-old managed to string together two consecutive wins only at the Rio de Janeiro tournament, where he was defeated in the quarterfinals by Argentina's Facundo Comesana (ranked 61st).
Eliminated in the first round at Monte Carlo a few days ago by Matteo Berrettini, Zverev is unlikely to enter this tournament with much confidence and may not intimidate his opponents as he did in the past.
Francisco Cerundolo, the One to Watch
It’s the Argentine, Francisco Cerundolo, who should catch our attention for the final result. The 26-year-old seems to particularly enjoy this clay surface and is still searching for his first title of the season. Last year, he won the Umag tournament on clay, and he won his first-round match at Monte Carlo last week before falling, as expected, to World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz. This loss didn’t allow him to fully express his game on the surface, but it should have sparked his desire to quickly bounce back and earn another title in his career.
Facing the defending champion, Jan-Lennard Struff, in the first round, Cerundolo should have little trouble taking advantage of the German’s rough patch and advancing to the second round. Moreover, as a finalist at the Buenos Aires tournament in February, where he eliminated Alexander Zverev in earlier rounds, he was a quarterfinalist in Rio de Janeiro and a semifinalist in Santiago. A recent, promising run of performances that should give him the confidence to etch his name on the German trophy.
Our ATP Munich Winner Prediction: Francisco Cerundolo Wins!
