Alcaraz maintains Barcelona title defense bid; Rublev continues to roll; Zverev loses birthday match

A rundown of Thursday’s action across the ATP Tour’s stops in Barcelona, Banja Luka and Munich.

Carlitos, Foki To Clash; Ruud Tripped Up

Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz and 10th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will meet for the first time in an all-Spanish quarterfinal at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

It marks Alcaraz’s second straight matchup with a compatriot, following his 6-3, 7-5 win over Roberto Bautista Agut. The No. 13 seed led by a break at 3-2 in the first, before Alcaraz reeled off six consecutive games to take hold of the contest. Though the top seed twice let a break advantage slip in set two, he finished with a thump in claiming the final nine points for his 20th victory of the year.

Davidovich Fokina earlier defeated Emil Ruusuvuori, 6-4, 7-5. The 23-year-old notably won 13 of 17 second-serve points to concede just one break during his 86-minute win.

Casper Ruud’s 2023 troubles endured when the third seed lost to No. 15 seed Francisco Cerundolo, 7-6 (5), 6-3. After missing two chances to lead the first set 5-1, Ruud later blew two set points when serving for the set at 5-3. After sealing the tie-break, Cerundolo broke to begin the second set—an advantage the Argentine protected to finish off the 2022 French Open runner-up.

Rublev Rides Wave

Fresh off winning his maiden Masters 1000 crown, incoming Monte Carlo champion Andrey Rublev opened his Srpska Open campaign in Banja Luka with a dominant start. The second seed, who won this event last year over Novak Djokovic when it was staged in Belgrade, dismissed Juan Pablo Varillas, 6-2, 6-2. Rublev won twice as many return points as his opponent (28 to 14) to break twice in each set.

For a spot in the semifinals, the 25-year-old will face Damir Dzumhur. The 202nd-ranked wild card eliminated No. 7 seed Richard Gasquet, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (3).

Sascha Loses On B’Day

Alexander Zverev turned 26, but there was no celebrating to be had on court.

The No. 3 seed was sent packing at Munich’s BMW Open by Christopher O’Connell. The Australian ousted Zverev, 7-6 (2), 6-4, to reach his third tour-level quarterfinal of the year (Doha, Marrakech). The 16th-ranked Zverev fell to a 10-11 season record.

The top two seeds fared better on the back of strong Monte Carlo showings. Defending title holder Holger Rune defeated Yannick Hanfmann, 6-3, 6-4, while No. 2 seed Taylor Fritz rallied past Marton Fucsovics, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.