American Taylor Fritz Upsets Champion Stefanos Tsitsipas at Monte Carlo Masters
Greek second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who had won the Monte Carlo Masters in the last two editions, suffered a defeat in the quarter-finals against American Taylor Fritz. The match, played on Friday, saw Tsitsipas crash out of the tournament with a 6-2, 6-4 loss.
Stefanos Tsitsipas knocked out of Monte Carlo Masters
Eighth-seeded Fritz dominated the match from the outset, breaking Tsitsipas’ serve and racing to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. Fritz went on to win the set, holding his service game to love.
Tsitsipas improved slightly in the second set but Fritz broke his serve decisively for 4-3 with a winner. The American then held firm to close out the match, winning the second set 6-4.
Fritz, who reached the last four of a Masters event for the first time, will now face Andrey Rublev in the semi-finals. Rublev overcame German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff with a 6-1, 7-6(5) victory.
Rublev, the fifth seed, lost the first game on his serve but bounced back strongly to win six in a row in a quick opening set. Struff, ranked world number 100, found his stride in the second set, while Rublev showed signs of nerves. Rublev broke for 4-3, only for Struff to break back in the following game and force a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, the Russian regained his composure to prevail on his second match point.
Tsitsipas expresses disappointment
Following his loss, Tsitsipas expressed his disappointment in a post-match press conference. “It’s a disappointing loss for sure, but I have to give credit to my opponent. He played a great match and deserved to win today,” he said.
Tsitsipas, who has already qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin in November, will now turn his focus to the upcoming Barcelona Open.
Fritz, on the other hand, will be looking to continue his impressive run at the Monte Carlo Masters and reach his first Masters final.
The quarter-final match between Tsitsipas and Fritz was a closely watched affair, with many expecting the defending champion to progress to the semi-finals. However, Fritz’s dominant performance on the day ensured that Tsitsipas crashed out of the tournament. The American will now be looking to cause another upset and reach the final of the Monte Carlo Masters.
