If you’re looking for anyone to prove that age is just a number, look no further than 39-year-old Ivo Karlovic.

The Croatian saved two match points in a second-set tie-break to oust former World No. 5 Tommy Robredo 6-7(5), 7-6(8), 6-4 on Monday at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, winning his first match at the event since his run to the 2006 quarter-finals (l. to Wawrinka). It is Karlovic’s first appearance in Barcelona since 2008.

The 6’11” right-hander has not let slip the momentum of an impressive run to the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship semi-finals two weeks ago. Karlovic extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead against the 35-year-old Robredo to 4-0 thanks to a 29-ace performance. Karlovic next faces No. 8 seed Roberto Bautista Agut, whom he beat in three tie-break sets last year in Madrid in their only FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup.

Read — Karlovic: On The Line

And while the Croatian is the oldest player in the field, there was also a battle between the two youngest competitors in Barcelona. #NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated fellow #NextGenATP player Corentin Moutet 6-4, 6-1, the 19-year-old continuing his breakout season.

Prior to 2018, the 19-year-old had won four tour-level matches. With his win against the youngest player in the field, Moutet, the Greek now has seven triumphs this year alone.

Tsitsipas, who is at a career-best No. 63 in the ATP Rankings, broke the French qualifier five times to close out the victory in 87 minutes. It is the second tournament in a row that the Greek has ousted a fellow #NextGenATP competitor after beating Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the first round at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The right-hander will look to continue his good form against No. 7 seed Diego Schwartzman, who won the first ATP World Tour 500-level event of the year at the Rio Open presented by Claro. The Argentine won the pair’s only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting last year in Antwerp in straight sets.

In other action, 34-year-old Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who debuted in Barcelona 13 years ago, defeated World No. 42 Yuichi Sugita 7-6(5), 7-6(5), saving 11 of 14 break points he faced in the two-hour, 27-minute clash. Frenchman Benoit Paire ousted in-form Chilean Nicolas Jarry 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-4 to set up an encounter against No. 5 seed Pablo Carreno Busta, against whom Paire owns a 3-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead. Wild card Marcel Granollers thrilled the home crowd with a straightforward 6-2, 6-2 win against Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin.

Did You Know?
Ivo Karlovic became the oldest player to advance to an ATP World Tour semi-final since Jimmy Connors at 1993 San Francisco when he reached the final four in Houston.

Rafael Nadal has always been an appreciative champion, and he’s especially that way now as, despite being deep into his career, the Spaniard continues to win “Big Titles” – a combination of Grand Slam, Masters 1000 and Nitto ATP Finals crowns.

In what seems like an annual tradition now, the Spaniard added another Big Title at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo on Sunday, beating Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-2 for his 11^th Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters crown.

Watch Highlights: Nadal Wins 11th Monte-Carlo Title

The victory gave the Spaniard his 31^st Masters 1000 crown, putting him atop the all-time Masters 1000 leaderboard. Nadal also celebrated his 47^th Big Title, which draws him even with Novak Djokovic for second place, still six behind Roger Federer, who has 53 Big Titles.

“My true feeling is these kind of things [are] not going to happen forever, so just try to enjoy and to play with the full passion and with the full energy and concentration, full love for the sport,” Nadal said.

“I know the day to say goodbye is closer than 10 years ago. Is something that I am not worried about, but is a real thing. So just enjoying every day and trying to play with the best attitude possible, to keep being happy playing tennis.”

The 31-year-old Nadal also improved his Big Title conversion rate. He and Djokovic are tied for the best rate, winning one Big Title every 3.5 opportunities. Federer has won an average of one Big Title every 4.1 chances.

Current and Former Champions’ Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990) 

 * Becker’s four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg’s three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.  

Read More: Nadal, Djokovic Drawn In Same Barcelona Quarter

Nadal, who has won a career-best 36 consecutive sets on clay, can’t pull even with Federer’s Big Title haul during the clay-court season. But, with three more Big Titles on clay – Mutua Madrid Open, Internazionali BNL d’Italia and Roland Garros – the World No. 1 can pull ahead of Djokovic as early as 13 May, the day of the Madrid final. Of course, Djokovic could do the same, setting up more must-see tennis on the European red dirt.

“Next week is another week that I have a tough draw in Barcelona,” Nadal said. “Is not the moment to stop and to disconnect your mind. Is the moment to stay focused and to keep holding that momentum, that is a good one after winning seven matches in a row on clay now, this year. That’s a positive thing. The way that I won the matches is very positive. So is the moment to keep going, and that’s my goal.”

It may have taken five years, but reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov is back where it all started.

The Bulgarian, who spent time training in Spain as a junior and received his first qualifying wild card into an ATP World Tour event in Barcelona 12 years ago as a 16-year-old, is competing in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell for the first time since 2013.

“Now that I’m back here, it brings back so many good memories,” Dimitrov said. “I practically spent my junior years out here, so it’s just pretty much coming back to the same courts where I used to practise and of course hang around, and just be a kid.”

The World No. 5 will hope that the familiarity will help him produce a strong performance this week. Dimitrov got his clay-court season off to a good start at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he advanced to the semi-finals for the first time before losing against the eventual champion, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal.

“For a start, it’s not bad,” said Dimitrov, who had lost in the third round at his previous event, the Miami Open presented by Itau. “I finished Miami a little bit early, which kind of worried me, that I wasn’t going to get a few matches before such an event like Monte-Carlo. But I think at the same time that gave me a little peace of mind that I can rest a little bit and sort of start fresh to prepare. It’s a good start, I’m not going to hide that.”

But Dimitrov does not only want a good start. He wants to maintain consistency on the clay, the surface on which he has captured just one of his eight tour-level titles.

“The past years, I felt I’ve done well on the clay, but not good enough,” Dimitrov said. “I grew up on clay. I feel I can play well and do well, so hopefully this week’s going to give me a little bit of that.”

The 26-year-old is joining 10-time champion Nadal, Top 10 players in Dominic Thiem and David Goffin, as well as former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to lead the field.

“It’s pretty magnificent to see all the players that are playing out here and ready to compete,” Dimitrov said. “I think everybody’s hungry for some matches and wants to compete, which is great. I’m very happy to see this and I’m all for the competition.”

And just because he lost against Nadal — who has now won 36 consecutive sets on clay — in Monte-Carlo, doesn’t mean Dimitrov lacks belief.

“I think everything is possible,” said Dimitrov, who opens against Frenchman Gilles Simon or Ilya Ivashka of Belarus. “I think you should never rule out any performance or any tournament that you play, doesn’t matter if Roger [Federer] or Rafa or whoever else is playing in that tournament. If you want to be the best, you need to beat the best at some point.”

No. 22 Kei Nishikori, +14
Nishikori showed that he is well on his way to returning to the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings with his run to the final of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (l. to Nadal). The former World No. 4 was unseeded in the Principality, but battled his way through the draw with four three-set wins in five matches en route to the final.

Read More: Nishikori: ‘I’m Almost There’

The Japanese right-hander beat No. 18 Tomas Berdych, Sydney International titlist Daniil Medvedev and Italian Andreas Seppi to reach the quarter-finals, where Nishikori had to raise his level and he did. The 28-year-old fought past two Top 5 opponents – Marin Cilic and Alexander Zverev – to make his fourth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final.

No. 3 Alexander Zverev, +1
The German celebrated his 21^st birthday by clinching his best finish yet in Monte-Carlo. Zverev outlasted Frenchman Richard Gasquet in three sets to make the semi-finals (l. to Nishikori) and guarantee his return to his career-high position in the ATP Rankings of No. 3.

After a slow start to the Masters 1000 season in Indian Wells (l. to Joao Sousa, R2), Zverev, a two-time Masters 1000 titlist (2017 Rome, Montreal) has returned to regular proceedings by reaching the Miami Open presented by Itau final (l. to Isner) and the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo.

No. 29 Richard Gasquet, +5
The Frenchman appeared healthy and able to produce some of his best tennis in Monte-Carlo, which is especially encouraging for Gasquet, who endured a frustrating number of stops and starts in 2017. Gasquet missed the first five Masters 1000 tournaments last year due to appendicitis surgery and a back injury.

But in Monte-Carlo, the 31-year-old right-hander dropped only three games against then-No. 15 Diego Schwartzman, before defeating German Mischa Zverev, Alexander’s older brother, for his 500^th victory, becoming the first Frenchman to achieve the milestone.

No. 35 Philipp Kohlschreiber, +5
The German veteran again showed his clay-court prowess in Monte-Carlo. Kohlschreiber, who has won six of his eight titles on clay, beat Houston finalist Tennys Sandgren of the U.S. and 2017 finalist Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain to make the third round (l. to Dimitrov).

No. 55 Andreas Seppi, +7
The Italian was a home favourite for the Monte-Carlo faithful, and he did not disappoint. The 34-year-old qualified by beating #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur and Marcel Granollers of Spain. Seppi then showed the form that helped him beat Alexander Zverev in Rotterdam earlier this year. The Italian eliminated Marrakech finalist Kyle Edmund of Great Britain and Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez before falling to Nishikori in the third round.

A LOOK BACK
Ganjiang New Area International Challenger (Nanchang, China): How good was Quentin Halys in Nanchang? The third-seeded Frenchman averaged less than six games lost per match, eventually blasting to the title with a 6-3, 6-2 win over countryman Calvin Hemery on Sunday.

At the age of 21, Halys is one of France’s brightest young stars, along with Hemery and 19-year-old Corentin Moutet. Up to No. 110 in the ATP Rankings, his victory on the clay of Nanchang was his second Challenger crown this year. Also the champion on the indoor hard courts of Quimper, Halys now owns an impressive 13-4 record on the circuit in 2018.

Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open (Sarasota, Florida, U.S.A.): What a moment for Hugo Dellien. What a moment for Bolivian tennis! The Trinidad, Bolivia, native became just the second player from his country to lift a trophy – and the first since 1983 – on the ATP Challenger Tour. Dellien triumphed on the green clay of Sarasota, rallying past Facundo Bagnis 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in Sunday’s title match.

Welcome to the club, @hugo_dellien! The 24-year-old celebrates his maiden #ATPChallenger title in Sarasota.

First player from ?? to lift a ? since Mario Martinez in 1983. pic.twitter.com/lwasqHOeWB

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 22, 2018

Dellien came one point from exiting the tournament in the quarter-finals, having saved a match point against Stefan Kozlov on Friday. Moreover, the maiden moment for the 24-year-old comes four years after reaching his first final in Montevideo 2014. He rises 59 spots in the ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 172.

Jalisco Open presentado por Aeromexico-Delta (Guadalajara, Mexico): Few players on the ATP Challenger Tour are hotter than El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo. The 27-year-old has soared nearly 100 spots in the past month to a career-high No. 142, having captured a pair of titles on Mexican soil in San Luis Potosi and Guadalajara. 

Arevalo would survive a two-hour marathon against Christopher Eubanks on Sunday at the Jalisco Open, prevailing in a deciding tie-break 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(4). El Salvador’s finest is 11-4 this year on the Challenger circuit. He previously defeated Roberto Cid Subervi for the crown in San Luis Potosi earlier this month.

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Eubanks is up to a career-high No. 246 after reaching his first Challenger final. The former Georgia Tech University standout is in his first full season on tour after turning pro in October.

Two titles. One day.

For the second time this year, @CheloArevaloATP lifts singles and doubles ?? at the same tournament, prevailing in Guadalajara. pic.twitter.com/ieft3ipiX6

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 23, 2018

Tunis Open (Tunis, Tunisia): From one player clinching his second title of the season to another, we travel 6,500 miles east to Tunis where Guido Andreozzi emerged on the African clay. After a four-year hiatus, the ATP Challenger Tour returned to the Tunisian capital, as the Argentine notched his sixth title overall. 

Andreozzi took his second Challenger crown of the year (Punta del Este, Uruguay) when qualifier Daniel Gimeno-Traver retired due to illness at 6-2, 3-0 in Sunday’s final. He is one of the top performers on the circuit this year, posting an 18-5 record. In addition, Andreozzi is the fourth different Argentine winner in three weeks, following victories for Carlos Berlocq, Juan Ignacio Londero and Marco Trungelliti.

.@guidoandreozzi lifts the ? in Tunis, as the #ATPChallenger Tour returns to ?? for the first time since 2014.

Sixth title for Andreozzi overall and second of the year. pic.twitter.com/iUFwHo3TNS

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 22, 2018

A LOOK AHEAD
Four more tournaments are on the calendar this week. Halys looks to go back-to-back on Chinese soil in Anning and is joined by top seed Vasek Pospisil, 2016 champion Jordan Thompson and 2014 winner Alex Bolt. In Tallahassee, the U.S. swing continues, where Denis Kudla leads the pack, with #NextGenATP stars Michael Mmoh, Miomir Kecmanovic, Marc Polmans and Jay Clarke.

The second edition of the €43,000 event in Francavilla al Mare, Italy, welcomes teens Felix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud, while Arevalo eyes a third title in Mexico at the 16th edition of the Torneo Internacional Challenger Leon.

After an exciting start to the European clay-court season at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, the clay swing continues in Barcelona and Budapest. World No. 1 Rafael Nadal leads the field at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, with three other Top 10 players as well as Novak Djokovic looking to challenge the 10-time champion.

Frenchman Lucas Pouille, who won in Montpellier and advanced to the final in Marseille and Dubai earlier this year, is the top seed and defending champion at the Gazprom Hungarian Open. There is once again a strong field in the tournament’s second year.

View Draws: Barcelona | Budapest

10 THINGS TO WATCH IN BARCELONA

1) Best in Barcelona: Ten-time champion Rafael Nadal and former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic lead a star-studded field at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Also competing at the ATP World Tour 500 event are Top 10 players Grigor Dimitrov, Dominic Thiem and David Goffin, as well as former Barcelona champions Kei Nishikori, Fernando Verdasco and Tommy Robredo.

2) Pista Rafa Nadal: Nadal will likely play all his matches this week on the court named after him in 2017. With a 53-3 record in Barcelona, the Spaniard is the only player in ATP World Tour history to win at least 10 titles at an event, also capturing 11 on the clay of Monte-Carlo and 10 at Roland Garros. Nadal has won eight of his 10 Barcelona titles without dropping a set, including in 2016 and 2017.

Read More & Watch: Nadal Clinches La Undécima

3) No Room for Error: Nadal needs to sweep titles in Barcelona and Madrid to remain No. 1 in the ATP Rankings. Otherwise, Roger Federer will reclaim No. 1. Nadal’s only opportunity to add ATP Rankings points through Roland Garros is in Rome, where he lost in the quarter-finals last year.

4) Wild Development: Djokovic will make his second Barcelona appearance after accepting a wild card. As an 18-year-old, he lost in the first round 12 years ago to Daniel Gimeno-Traver. Djokovic is 5-4 in 2018, and pushed World No. 7 Dominic Thiem in a three-set thriller in Monte-Carlo.

5) Feet of Clay: Thiem has won seven of his nine tour-level titles and reached 11 of his 14 finals on clay courts. The Austrian defeated then-No. 1 Andy Murray in the Barcelona semi-finals last year before falling to Nadal. Thiem and Stan Wawrinka are the only men to beat each member of the ‘Big Four’ on clay.

Read Preview: Nadal, Djokovic In Stacked Quarter In Barcelona

6) Come Together: Dimitrov and Goffin were opponents and doubles partners in the Monte-Carlo quarter-finals last week. They met in the biggest final of both men’s careers at the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals. Dimitrov emerged with the title and owns a 7-1 FedEx ATP Head2Head series advantage against Goffin. Dimitrov is the No. 2 seed in Barcelona and Goffin No. 4.

7) Feeling at Home: Nishikori returns to Barcelona after missing the tournament in 2017 due to a right wrist injury. The former World No. 4 has won 14 of his past 15 matches at the event, including back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. His winning streak ended in the 2016 final against Nadal.

8) Asian Sensation: Hyeon Chung of South Korea passed Nishikori in the ATP Rankings on 19 March to become the top-ranked Asian, ending the Japanese player’s seven-year reign. The 21-year-old Chung is 18-7 this season after ending 2017 as champion of the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals.

9) Spanish Armada: Thirteen Spaniards are in the field, including the 2010 champion Verdasco, 2004 champion Robredo, No. 5 seed Pablo Carreno Busta, No. 8 seed Roberto Bautista Agut, No. 10 seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas and No. 12 seed Feliciano Lopez. Verdasco, the No. 15 seed, will go for his 500th tour-level win in his opening match against German Peter Gojowczyk or Argentine Guido Pella.

10) Doubles Depth: The Top 8 players in the ATP Doubles Rankings are in Barcelona, including three-time winners and Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, as well as Australian Open champions Oliver Marach  Mate Pavic. Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo (8-6) and Henri Kontinen/John Peers (5-5) are also competing.

10 THINGS TO WATCH IN BUDAPEST

1) Hungary for More: The ATP World Tour returns to Budapest for the second straight year with the Gazprom Hungarian Open. Inaugural champion Lucas Pouille and runner-up Aljaz Bedene are back and joined by local favourite Marton Fucsovics and #NextGenATP star Denis Shapovalov.

2) Flair for Drama: Pouille has saved match point en route to three of his five ATP World Tour titles, including last year in Budapest. The Frenchman fought off two match points in his opener against Jiri Vesely before beating Bedene for the title. Pouille is the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive year after breaking into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings on 19 March.

3) Feet of Clay: Bedene won 16 straight matches at all levels entering the 2017 Budapest final. He’s back to his best on clay in 2018, defeating Diego Schwartzman en route to the Buenos Aires final and Pablo Carreno Busta to reach the Rio de Janeiro quarter-finals. Bedene is seeded fifth this week.

4) Hometown Hero: When Fucsovics played 2017 Budapest, he was a 154th-ranked wild card. One year later, he is seeded sixth and ranked a career-high No. 59. Fucsovics is the first Hungarian man in the Top 100 since Attila Savolt in 2003. At the Australian Open, he became the first Hungarian to reach the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam event since Balazs Taroczy at 1984 Roland Garros.

5) Next Big Thing: Also on the rise is Shapovalov, who was in the midst of a seven-match losing streak on the ATP Challenger Tour when he arrived at last year’s Gazprom Hungarian Open. The 19-year-old is the No. 4 seed in Budapest, marking the first time that he has been seeded in an ATP World Tour event.

6) 500 Wins: Richard Gasquet earned the 500th win of his career to reach the Monte-Carlo quarter-finals last week. The 31-year-old is the first Frenchman and 47th player overall to earn 500 or more wins. Gasquet, the No. 3 seed, will make his Budapest debut on Wednesday or Thursday following a bye.

Read Tribute: Gasquet, ‘Le Monsieur’, Reaches Elite Status With 500th Win

7) Damir’s Pursuit: No. 2 seed Damir Dzumhur ended 2017 on a 24-7 run, including his first two ATP World Tour titles at St. Petersburg and Moscow. The 25-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals at both Montpellier and Marseille, seeks his first trophy of 2018 in Budapest.

8) Going for 500: Russian Mikhail Youzhny can potentially join Gasquet in the 500-win club in Budapest, as he currently sits at 496 victories (496-404). Youzhny will need to make the final to achieve the milestone. He opens against Hungarian wild card Zsombor Piros.

9) Time is Now: Piros will make his ATP World Tour main draw debut in his hometown this week. The 18-year-old wild card peaked at No. 3 on the ITF Junior Circuit last season after winning the Australian Open boys’ singles and Roland Garros boys’ doubles titles. Piros is at a career-best No. 471 in the ATP Rankings.

10) In-Form at 40: Among the teams playing doubles in Budapest are 40-year-old Belarusian Max Mirnyi and 32-year-old Austrian Philipp Oswald. Since joining forces last August, Mirnyi and Oswald are 20-7 as a pair with titles at 2017 Moscow, 2018 New York and 2018 Houston.