Top seed Carlos Alcaraz faces fellow Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the semifinals of the 2023 Argentina Open on Saturday.
The former world No. 1 made his comeback to the court with this tournament. He received a bye into the second round and defeated Laslo Djere in three sets 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. Alcaraz wasn’t at his best but it was understandable as his last competitive match came last year in early November.
In the quarterfinals, Alcaraz played much better tennis as he picked up a relatively comfortable win against Dusan Lajovic in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. Alcaraz will enter the semifinals as the favorite but would be wary of any signs of complacency.
Bernabe Zapata Miralles
The 26-year-old has had a great campaign in the tournament thus far. He got the better of compatriot Pedro Martinez in three sets 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in the round of 32. Zapata Miralles backed it up with a thumping win against 4th seed Diego Schwartzman, much to the disappointment of the Argentine fans. The encounter ended in straight sets 6-1, 6-3.
Zapata Miralles went on to dace 5th seed Francisco Cerundolo in the quarterfinals. The match turned out to be quite interesting but the Spaniard held his nerves to win 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3. He will go into the match as the underdog. There’s not much pressure on him and he should come out all guns blazing and try to unsettle Alcaraz from the get-go. Zapata Miralles will have to be at his very best to give Alcaraz a good run for his money.
Head-to-Head and Prediction
The head-to-head scoreline is evenly poised at 1-1 as we wait to see who takes the lead on Saturday.
Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in straight sets.
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