Carlos Alcaraz reached the Barcelona Open final for the third time in four years, where he will face Holger Rune for the title.
Spanish world number two Alcaraz, bidding for his second title in seven days, swept aside France’s Arthur Fils 6-2 6-4.
Alcaraz won his home tournament in 2022 and 2023 before missing it last year because of injury.
“Since I was a little kid, I watched the final every Sunday,” Alcaraz, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, said.
“Being in the final again means a lot, in front of my people and my friends who came from Murcia [Alcaraz’s home city].
“Let’s see if tomorrow we will end the day with the trophy.”
Denmark’s Rune secured his place in the final with a 6-3 6-2 win over Russia’s Karen Khachanov.
The victory also ensured Rune will return to the world’s top 10 for the first time since April 2024 when the rankings are updated on Monday.
Alcaraz beat Fils in three closely contested sets on his way to the Monte Carlo Masters title last week, but he was by far the better player in Barcelona.
He saved the one break point he faced and committed just 13 unforced errors compared to 38 from Fils.
Top seed Alcaraz won five games in a row to take an early break lead against world number 14 Fils before serving out the set to love.
Fils saved two break points in his first service game of the second but could not keep out Alcaraz for long, with the Spaniard serving out victory in one hour and 16 minutes.
