Pablo Carreno Busta and Diego Schwartzman produced inspired comebacks Friday at Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell to set up a semi-final showdown. Both men worked double duty at the ATP 500 event after a Thursday rainout, making their battling efforts all the more impressive.

Carreno Busta saved three match points in the second set against Casper Ruud and then overcame an early break in the decider to survive 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-3, after three hours.

The Spanish eighth seed improves to 5-1 on the European clay swing after a third-round run in Monte Carlo, and ends an impressive streak for his opponent: Ruud had won the last 51 clay-court matches in which he won the opening set.

“I’m so, so happy for this victory,” said the 30-year-old from Gijon, who beat Lorenzo Sonego in another three-setter to start his day. “It was very emotional today playing in front of my people, in my home. I was a set down after playing three hours this morning, so it’s very, very tough to come back.

“Thanks to this crowd, because it was unbelievable to play here again in Barcelona, here in the semi-finals. I cannot be more happy.”

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Ruud’s three match points came with Carreno Busta serving at 4-5 in the second. But PCB fought through a four-deuce game, then took the tie-break on his sixth set point after leading 6/3. Ruud won eight straight points to take an early 2-1 lead in the final set, before the Spaniard won four straight games.

Carreno Busta, who saved 12 of 14 break points in the match, saved three apiece in each of his final two service games, including an escape from 0/40 as he served out the match.

After spending nearly six hours on court, he can now look forward to a fourth ATP Head2Head meeting against sixth seed Schwartzman.

“It’s a really great opponent in the semi-finals,” Carreno Busta said. “We played last year in the quarter-finals, three sets… dramatic at the end. So I hope to recover as much as I can after playing six hours today and try to be ready for tomorrow.”

The Spaniard holds a 2-1 edge over Schwartzman, including a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win in their most recent meeting in the Barcelona quarter-final.

Schwartzman did not live quite as dangerously on Friday against Felix Auger-Aliassime, as he did not drop serve in the final two sets to claim a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory. The Argentine spent just over four hours on court Friday, topping Lorenzo Musetti, 6-4, 7-5, to open the day.

He earned his ATP Tour-leading 14th and 15th clay wins of the season to reach his fifth tour-level quarter-final on the year — all on his favoured surface. Schwartzman is seeking his first title of 2022 after runs to the final in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.

Top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic moved within one win of securing a first title since the Tokyo Olympics in July with a 7-6(3), 6-3 win over Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski at the Serbia Open in Belgrade.

The Croatian pairing, which ended 2021 as the No. 1 doubles team in the ATP Rankings after picking up nine tour-level titles last year, has struggled for its best form this season. Two breaks of serve in the semi-final of the ATP 250 event on Friday were enough for them to reach their second championship match of the year, however, as they continued a strong showing on debut in Belgrade.

Mektic and Pavic will face Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar in Saturday’s championship match after the Uruguayan-Ecuadorian team ousted Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic 6-2, 7-6(3). Behar and Escobar, who also reached the final in Belgrade in last year, are chasing a third ATP Tour title together having lifted the trophies in Delray Beach and Marbella in 2021.

At the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies overcame defending champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in a rematch of the 2021 final to seal a last-four spot at the ATP 500 event.

Krawietz and Mies are two-time Grand Slam champions on the clay at Roland Garros and the German pairing had to use all their experience on the red dirt to hold off the fourth-seeded Colombians in a 6-4, 7-5 win. Krawietz and Mies saved all 10 break points they faced in a 90-minute victory to level the ATP Head2Head series between the two teams at 1-1 — Cabal and Farah triumphed in the only previous meeting between the teams at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals.

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Also in Barcelona, Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer continued their strong 2022 with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over a pair of Top 50 singles stars in Pedro Martinez and Lorenzo Sonego.

Arevalo and Rojer are hunting their third title of the year after back-to-back triumphs on the hard courts in Dallas and Delray Beach in February. The El Salvadorian-Dutch duo proved its clay-court pedigree with a run to the semi-finals at last week’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, and the pair held their nerve on Friday to rally from 0/4 in the second set tie-break by winning seven straight points.

Their semi-final opponents will be Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski, the in-form Dutch-British team chasing a fourth tour-level title of the year. Koolhof and Skupski advanced via walkover from their quarter-final, as did Mexican-Argentine duo Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.

The swirling Belgrade wind was not enough to halt the charge of Andrey Rublev at the Serbia Open on Friday afternoon.

The second seed produced a stunning display of forehand hitting to overwhelm Taro Daniel and surge to a 6-3, 6-3 victory in the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 event, setting a last-four meeting with Fabio Fognini in the process.

A cagey opening played out in blustery conditions suggested a tight encounter was in store at the Novak Tennis Center, but Rublev upped his level mid-way through the first set to devastating effect. A stream of scorching winners from the World No. 8’s forehand brought him nine of the final 12 games as he secured a 74-minute win to move within two matches of a third title of 2022.

“I was a bit stressed because the weather was really tough,” said Rublev after the match. “The conditions were so windy, the ball was moving a lot, so I needed to slow down, take more care. I felt I was playing well, I felt like I had control of the ball and I couldn’t take that many risks because of the wind.

“But then with time, I started to adapt, to take the moments when there was not much wind and I started to try to play more aggressive. In the end it worked.”

Japanese qualifier Daniel had posted a pair of impressive main-draw wins to reach the quarter-finals, taking out fifth seed Cristian Garin in straight sets before prevailing in a three-set battle with exciting #NextGenATP talent Holger Rune. Daniel was aiming to match his semi-final run in Belgrade from 2021 but the explosive power of his opponent proved too hot to handle for the World No. 104.

The match was finely poised at 3-3 after a tight start before Rublev put his foot on the gas. The World No. 8 showed real intent behind his groundstrokes, particularly off the forehand wing, to break Daniel twice in a row and seal the first set.

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Rublev was pushed the distance by Jiri Lehecka in his opening match in Belgrade and he appeared keen to avoid another long battle against Daniel. He continued to strike his forehand consistently to race to a 4-1 lead in the second set and it was only some stoic resistance from Daniel that kept the second seed to a solitary break.

Rublev served out to love for a comfortable win as he extended his ATP Head2Head record over Daniel to 2-0. The 24-year-old dropped just 10 points on serve in the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats, an indication of his dominance in the quarter-final encounter.

With the win, Rublev moves to a 21-5 record for the 2022 season. Only Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas has won more matches this year. Despite that strong record, he is taking nothing for granted ahead of his meeting with sixth seed Fognini on Saturday.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Rublev of the Fognini clash. “Fabi, he’s super talented, he can play amazing and it’s going to be a tough match with a lot of long rallies, so I just need to do my best and we will see what happens.”

Fognini also had to overcome the weather when he moved past Germany’s Oscar Otte with a 7-5, 6-4 win earlier on Friday.

World No. 67 Otte made a strong start to his maiden ATP Tour quarter-final, breaking early to surge to a 5-2 lead over the showstopping Italian, but he could not maintain the momentum as he struggled to cope with the high winds blowing across the centre court at the Novak Tennis Center.

Fognini dug deep to reel off five games in a row to snatch the first set as the conditions posed problems for both players. The Italian kept his cool even when he was behind to ensure the pressure of the occasion told on his opponent, who broke into the Top 100 for the first time in January.

Two breaks in the second set were enough to secure the match for No. 62-ranked Fognini. He never reached his free-flowing best in his first tour-level meeting with Otte, but the variety in the Italian’s game was enough to give him the edge over an opponent who struggled with his serve in the blustery conditions.

Fognini will hope to find his best level when he takes on Rublev in his second semi-final of the season. Eight of the Italian’s nine ATP Tour titles have come on clay, the biggest of which was his 2019 triumph at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. He holds a 5-4 ATP Head2Head series lead over Rublev, but the second seed has won the pair’s past three encounters.

In the other of Saturday’s semi-finals in Belgrade, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will aim to keep his bid for a third title at the ATP 250 event alive when he takes on third seed Karen Khachanov.

#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz earned his 20th tour-level win of the season Friday at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, overcoming countryman Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-3 to set a potential quarter-final clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Last year, it took the 18-year-old until the US Open in September to hit the 20-win landmark. However the fifth seed is a different beast now, with his 71-minute victory over Munar moving him into his fourth quarter-final of a standout 2022 campaign.

Alcaraz produced a physical and powerful performance against the wild card, stepping inside the baseline to attack Munar’s second serve as he moved up the court throughout to dictate.

The teenager fired 13 winners in the first set and demonstrated great feel as he used the drop shot to great effect to improve to 2-1 in his ATP Head2Head series against Munar, with all three meetings coming on clay.

“It is amazing to play here,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “It is even more special when I win. I think I am playing at a good level and I love playing in front of the Spanish crowd. I am now focused on the next round. My energy levels are at 100 per cent. I will give 100 per cent against Grigor or Tsitsipas.”

The 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals titlist was outside the Top 100 in the ATP Rankings when he lost in the first round on his Barcelona debut last season. Playing at a career-high No. 11 this week, Alcaraz is bidding to win his third tour-level trophy of the year in front of his home support in Spain.

The 18-year-old became the youngest ATP 500 champion when he triumphed in Rio de Janeiro in February, before he captured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami earlier this month.

In other action, Greek Tsitsipas takes on former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov in the third round, with the winner meeting Alcaraz later on Friday. The World No. 5, who eliminated Ilya Ivashka in his opening match, arrived in Barcelona off the back of retaining his Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title last week. Alcaraz leads Tsitsipas 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, while the Spaniard has never faced Dimitrov.

Alex de Minaur also advanced into the last eight after South African Lloyd Harris was forced to retire. The Australian was leading 6-0 in 20 minutes when the match was halted. De Minaur will next meet World No. 10 Cameron Norrie or Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.

Second seed Casper Ruud reached his third ATP Tour quarter-final of the season Friday, moving past Finn Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2, 6-2 at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

The Norwegian has produced some of his best tennis on clay and once again looked comfortable on the surface, pulling the World No. 73 around with his consistent and heavy groundstrokes to advance after 76 minutes.

The 23-year-old, who reached the second round in his only other Barcelona appearance in 2017, is now three wins away from capturing his eighth tour-level crown and seventh on clay. Ruud triumphed on the red dirt in Buenos Aires in February and is 7-1 on the surface in 2022.

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The World No. 7 will return to court later on Friday to play Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta or Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the last eight after rain delayed play earlier this week leading to a packed Day 5 schedule at the ATP 500 event.

Ruud now leads Ruusuvuori 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series. Last month, the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals semi-finalist reached his maiden ATP Masters 1000 championship match at the Miami Open presented by Itau, falling to #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets.

On a rainy Thursday at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, almost all of the day’s action was cancelled because of the weather. But in one of two singles matches played, Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame the conditions and a tough opponent to reach the third round.

Tsitsipas clawed past Belarusian Ilya Ivashka 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 after two hours and 13 minutes. The Greek will next play 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov.

Tsitsipas who last week won his second consecutive Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title, walked onto Pista Jan Kodes with a 5-1 advantage. Although the top seed closed out the first set, it was clear the rain suspension from Wednesday to Thursday made this a whole new match.

Ivashka showed some of the form that helped him to a career-high No. 41 in the ATP Rankings in March. The 28-year-old showed no fear of stepping into the court and taking the action to Tsitsipas when the opportunity arose.

Last year’s Winston-Salem titlist ripped a backhand up the line to take the second set as the crowd, which was thrilled to watch some tennis on a rainy day, made for a a fun atmosphere with plenty of singing and cheering.

Ultimately, Tsitsipas’ consistency proved the deciding factor. He took advantage of a forehand error from Ivashka to break for a 2-1 lead in the deciding set, which he would not relinquish. The Greek won 65 per cent of his second-serve points in the match compared to just 36 per cent for Ivashka.

The Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell has proven a successful event for Tsitsipas, who reached the final of the ATP 500 in 2018 and 2021, losing against Rafael Nadal on both occasions. 

In the only other completed singles match of the day, Dimitrov finished his 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Argentine Federico Coria. 

The Bulgarian is fresh off a run to the semi-finals in Monte Carlo, where he lost against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Tsitsipas leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head series 2-1, including a win on clay at Roland Garros two years ago.

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Novak Djokovic played the best tennis of his 2022 season on Thursday to defeat Miomir Kecmanovic, saving his top level for the final few games of the match at the Serbia Open. For the second straight day, he came from a set and a break down to defeat a countryman, after doing the same against Laslo Djere in his Belgrade opener.

“Generally I felt better than I did yesterday,” Djokovic said after advancing to the semi-finals. “Even though I was a set and a break down I felt game-wise that I took it up a level or two.”

On both occasions, he was pleased with the staying power that allowed him to work his way back into the match: “I muscled it out,” he said of Thursday’s effort. “I managed to physically just stay there with my opponent, yesterday and today. I was physically able to get into the position to have the momentum on my side.”

Djokovic was playing in just his sixth match of the year. In addition to the lack of match play, the 34-year-old also must face the challenge of competing against elite players more than 10 years his junior, like the 22-year-old Kecmanovic.

“Every stage of your career — especially after playing for 20 years on the Tour — has its differences in terms of how you approach things mentally,” said Djokovic, who turned pro in 2003. “My life has changed so much over the last 10 years, and my body as well. So you have to adapt to that, understand these changes, understand what I’m going through and figure out the biology of things. I constantly strategise, organise and plan with my team that helps me to peak at the right time and be able to compete with the young guys.

“For me, age is just a number. I sincerely feel younger than 35,” added Djokovic, who turns 35 on May 22.

Despite his status at World No. 1, a position he has held for a record 366 weeks and counting, the Serb is careful to keep his personal expectations in check and block out the outside noise.

“All these expectations from people, they got used to seeing you at that level for 10, 15 years. They always expect you to be winning 99 per cent of the matches,” he explained. “But obviously that’s not possible. You have to accept the fact that you going to lose, that you’re not going to feel good, that it might take more time to get into the groove.”

Speaking with great perspective, Djokovic went on to share what he sees as the key ingredients for success on the court, while also revealing what drives him to continue to work as hard as he does.

“There’s so many different factors that effect the outcome that you see and the performance on the court. But the discipline needs to always be present,” he continued. “Before discipline, I would say it’s commitment and devotion. If you’re not committed and devoted, then you’re not going to have as much discipline that is necessary.

“But even before that is, obviously, what drives you: Why are you playing? And for me, I try to always draw the strength from the love and passion for the game.”

With his status as a legend of the game long secured, Djokovic remains committed to taking his tennis to new heights. Even amidst a difficult start to his 2022 season, he trusts in his process and his ability to work his way back into top form.

“I choose to play,” he said. “No one is forcing me to play. I’ve done enough in my career that I could stop today. But I still feel motivated and inspired. I love to play in front of people, of course here in Serbia is a unique opportunity for me, and those kind of unique occasions feed me with good energy. I love being here and I love competing.

“I also, as weird as it sounds, I love being devastated by losing big matches. Because I know that means that I care about winning and being able to compete with the best players in the world.”

After his historic 2021 season ended with a loss in the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals, the Serb’s next big opportunity awaits on Saturday, when he’ll face third seed Karen Khachanov for a place in the Belgrade final.