(Barcelona) Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in three sets on Saturday to earn a ticket to the Barcelona Open tennis final for the third time in his career. He will face Carlos Alcaraz.

Fifth player in the world, Tsitsipas won 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in the semi-finals of this preparatory tournament for the French Open, which will begin in a little over a month on the clay courts of Roland Garros.

Tsitsipas had also reached the final game in Barcelona in 2018 and 2021, but each time he lost at the hands of Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

The latter had to skip the Barcelona Open because of a hip injury that has been bothering him since the Australian Open last January.

In Sunday’s final, Tsitsipas will face Spain’s No. 1 seed and No. 2 in the world, who beat Britain’s Daniel Evans in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.

Alcaraz will be aiming for a ninth career title, and a third in 2023, against a rival he has beaten three times in as many attempts. Last year in Barcelona, ​​Alcaraz defeated Tsitsipas in three sets in the quarter-finals.

Both Tsitsipas and Musetti have struggled on serve. Tsitsipas converted six break points in 11 attempts while Musetti had five service breaks in 10 chances.

“It was very exhausting on the court,” said Tsitsipas, who scored a fourth victory in as many attempts against Musetti.

“We had to cover a lot of space on the court, and he landed some incredible defensive shots that I really didn’t expect. It was such a psychological battle. »