Stefanos Tsitsipas won't complete the three-peat at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters after he lost in the quarterfinals.
Both protagonists of the second quarterfinal match at the Court Rainier III are part of the Top 10, but thanks to his successful history in the Monte-Carlo Country Club, Tsitsipas was the favourite to beat the American who never played semifinals at a clay-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
Moreover, Fritz never beat the Greek in their previous meetings on the ATP Tour and Tsitsipas was entering the quarterfinal match rested after two comfortable wins. But things weren't easy for the two-time defending champion on his quest to extend the winning streak.
Fritz started firing right from the off and broke his opponent's serve in the first game. He didn't lift the pedal but pushed it even harder against the metal, adding another break and leading 4-0 in the first set.
Fritz's performance in the first set was impressive all around. He lost only two points on his serve despite not having his first serve in the majority of the rallies. He also hit 9 winners and made only 3 unforced errors and that resulted in a quick 6-2 win in only 30 minutes.
The American kept pushing his opponent also in the second set. He managed to hit more of his first serves into the box, but Tsitsipas also found more answers on the return.
However, that didn't help the Greek as Fritz hit 12 winners and made only one unforced error in the second set. After a series of breaks from the seventh to the ninth game, Fritz won the second set 6-4 to advance to the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters semifinals.
Up next, the American will take on Andrey Rublev, who triumphed in the first match of the day, in his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal on clay.
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