Stefanos Tsitsipas Dominates Monte Carlo Masters Quarter-Finals, Sets Sights on 3rd Title
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, a two-time champion at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2021 and 2022, continued his impressive run by advancing to the semi-finals with a commanding straight-set victory over Karen Khachanov from Russia.
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece advanced to the semi-finals of the Monte Carlos Masters on Friday, easily defeating Russian opponent Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-2, so preserving his prospects of winning a third title in the tournament.
The Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune’s quarterfinalist will face the 25-year-old Greek.
“I was very effective from the start, I had a lot of pace and gained momentum,” Tsitsipas stated.
“I tried to do my part and press and it worked out really well.”
The umpire’s cheeky response to Khachanov’s question before the game, “Are you going to stay focused?” was “Always, of course.”
Khachanov, who looked to be out of form and rarely seemed to be, was the one who ought to have asked himself the question given his performance against his countryman Daniil Medvedev on Thursday. Both players had three consecutive breaks of service in the opening exchanges, which ended with Tsitsipas breaking the run to take a 3-1 lead.
Khachanov eventually prevailed in his own service game to tie the match at three points, showcasing a wonderful blend of power striking, deft touch, and quickness.
At 5-4 down, he needed medical attention during the changeover, but he returned to the fight just in time to see Tsitsipas finish the set. In the second set, Khachanov faced pressure on his serve at 1-1, seemingly bothered by a sore upper quad. However, he saved a break point and went on to hold.
But when the next change over came around, Khachanov was none too pleased with himself as a string of mistakes gave his Greek opponent the lead at 3-2.
The 27-year-old Russian threw his racket to the floor in a furious manner before taking a seat.
Tsitsipas seized the initiative, winning 11 straight points to take a commanding 5-2 lead and cruising to the final eight.
Despite the fact that he hasn’t yet won the prestigious French Open on clay, he acknowledged the competition brought out the best in him.
He smiled and replied, “I would be lying if I said it didn’t bring out the best in me.”
“There are a lot of happy memories, and returning here after leaving brings them back to life.
“It brings me alive.”
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