Monte-Carlo Masters: Taylor Fritz defeats Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach into SFs
Apr 14, 2023
Monte Carlo [Monaco], April 14 : Taylor Fritz earned a win on Friday at the Monte-Carlo Masters as he overcame defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
Tsitsipas entered the match on a 12-match winning streak in Monte-Carlo, having won the ATP Masters 1000 event in 2021 and 2022. He was unable to find his best level, however, against Fritz, who forced the Greek into 18 unforced errors with his weight and depth of shot in order to advance after 70 minutes.
The American will next meet Andrey Rublev after the fifth seed defeated German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff. Fritz hit 17 winners and was dominant on his second serve, winning 70% (14/20) of points with his second delivery to advance to his third ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.
"I thought my level today was very high. I think I played a very good match. Beating him here gives me a lot of confidence. It has given me the reassurance I need to know I can play well on clay. I seemed to play well on the big points. I took my chances. I knew that if I played too safe he would be able to get around and dictate on the forehand. So even in the pressure moments, I pulled the trigger," ATP.com quoted Fritz as saying.
Elsewhere at Court 9, Holger Rune continues to build an impressive record as he defeated the in-form Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 on Friday at the Monte-Carlo Masters to reach his second ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.
Rune broke Medvedev again for 2-1 in the second set after clinching the only break of the first set in the fourth game, as his aggressive hitting kept the third seed under constant pressure. Despite Medvedev immediately reclaiming the break to give himself a chance to win his 27th tour-level match, Rune's sharp returning engineered another, and this time decisive, break in the ninth game.
"It wasn't easy for sure, it's always tough to play Daniil. It was actually my first time playing against him in a real match, but we've practised tonnes of times. I have huge respect for everything he's done. The last week it was not easy to stop him but I'm happy I managed to do it," said Rune, who has risen two spots to No. 7 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his Monte-Carlo run.
"It's just really staying in the moment. His serve is huge, he can hit every target, it's very effortless I would say. He can just toss the ball and goes full. When it's in and on the line, there's nothing to do, you just have to accept it and try to see every chance you can get and take it," Rune said.
