Carlos Alcaraz vs Bernabe Zapata Miralles Prediction: Carlos will easily make it to the final

Two Spaniards will meet in the semi-finals of a tennis tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina: world number two Carlos Alcaraz and world number 74 Bernabe Zapata Miralles. The two men have played each other three times on Tour, with the younger Pyrenean heavily favored. Unsurprisingly, Alcaraz is quoted as the favorite for the upcoming meeting.

Carlos Alcaraz had no problem taking on Lajovic in the quarterfinals in Buenos Aires. The match lasted one hour and 34 minutes, 6-4, 6-2 to the Spaniard. The Spaniard is clearly improving from game to game. The Spaniard has dropped from the Australian Open, where he lost his ATP Masters title to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. Naturally, Alcaraz's immediate goal is to return to the top of the ATP; he needs to win tournaments.

This is Bernabe's second clay tournament of the season. Before Buenos Aires, the Spaniard played two matches in Cordoba, where he lost to Barrios in three sets. In the Argentine capital, Zapata Miralles has played three matches already, knocking out compatriot Martinez Portero and two Argentinians, Schwartzman and Cerundolo. The quarterfinal against Francisco Cerundolo was a long, 3-set match lasting 2 hours and 35 minutes. Note that the Spaniard doesn't have a very strong serve, which noticeably reduces his chances against his compatriot and Spain's first racket.

We don't think the Spanish derby, if I may say so, will be protracted. Alcaraz is still far from his peak, but Carlos is slowly improving from game to game. He knocked out two strong Serb players, Dere and Lajovic, and beat Lajovic easily. Zapata Miralles has experience beating Alcaraz, but it was long ago before Carlos became a world star and the first racket of Spain. So we doubt Bernabe has any chance of winning even a set, let alone the match as a whole. The number two of the ATP rankings will get a confident win over his compatriot on Sunday.

• Total Under (19.5) for 1.83;
• Handicap 1 (-5.5) for 1.81.

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