Stefanos Tsitsipas scrapes past Alexander Zverev at Monte Carlo Masters, Alex de Minaur also progresses
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Updated 11/04/2024 at 21:58 GMT
Stefanos Tsitsipas had match points at 5-0 up in the second set against Alexander Zverev, only to lose five straight games as the Greek player completely lost his rhythm at the Monte Carlo Masters. Somehow, he scraped through the tie-break to advance to the quarter-finals, in an incredible match that saw huge swings of momentum and plenty of epic rallies.
Highlights: Medvedev fumes during Monte Carlo exit to Khachanov
Stefanos Tsitsipas got the better of his long-term rival Alexander Zverev with a 7-5 7-6(3) win at the Monte Carlo Masters, in a match he described as dramatic. The tight scoreline does not come near to telling the full story of the match, which saw Zverev fight back from being 5-0 down in the second set.
The Greek player took just over two hours to outlast the German, but it was a topsy turvy affair punctuated by changes in momentum, with Tsitsipas crediting his mental strength for coming through such a difficult test.
Tsitsipas is a two-time winner in Monaco, and a former Roland-Garros runner-up who excels on the dirt courts. But he was up against a tough opponent in Zverev who is also renowned for being good on the clay and coming back into his best form.
Tsitsipas got the better of Zverev in a tight first set, his willingness to come to the net proving the difference and from 7-5 5-0 up with match points to boot, the contest so many had looked forward to seemed to be heading to a disappointingly lopsided conclusion.
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Alexander Zverev couldn't keep his Monte-Carlo chances going on Thursday
Image credit: Getty Images
But from there Tsitsipas’ winners went missing, and Zverev sensed an opportunity for a famous comeback. The German managed to get all the way back on serve and force a tie-break, but somehow Tsitsipas escaped with the win.
"I would call it an adventure of a lifetime," Tsitsipas said. "Something I am not faced with every single day and momentum shifted dramatically at some points. It went one way and then it went completely the other way again.
“I don't even know, I am trying to figure out right now what happened. I was 5-0 in the second set. However, things looked pretty good in the tie-break, especially when I got the mini break.
"It is a big win. I am grateful I was able to play the way I did today. It took a lot of mental strength throughout the entire match. It was very consistent from the beginning to the end. I felt very dominant from the baseline.
“Today's match was a great assessment to how much I can fight in tough moments.”
Tsitsipas is a man in demand at the moment - with Maria Sakkari revealing that she would like to link up with her fellow Greek player for the mixed doubles in the Olympics later this year, which is set to be played on the clay courts of Roland-Garros. Sakkari admitted the pairing is unlikely though, with Tsitsipas instead expected to play the men's doubles with his brother.
Tsitsipas will play Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals, following his win Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in a bad-tempered match that saw Medvedev once again turning his wrath on the line judges.
That match is in the bottom half of the draw, while in the top half Novak Djokovic will play Alex de Minaur. De Minaur beat his fellow Aussie Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-4 on a warm and sunny day in the Principality, while Djokovic was made to work for nearly two hours as he defeated Lorenzo Musetti 7-5 6-3.
Casper Ruud booked his place in the quarter-finals with a straightforward win over Hubert Hurkacz, taking just over an hour to defeat the Pole 6-4 6-2. He will play Ugo Humbert in the last eight, the Frenchman outlasting Lorenzo Sonego in three sets 5-7 6-3 6-1 in a match that finished late into the night in Monte Carlo.
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