On a day of thrillers at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, the best was saved until last when Stefanos Tsitsipas edged Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4 in an epic clash under the floodlights on Court Rainier III.

In a classic quarter-final match that swung one way and then another, Tsitsipas squandered a 5-2 lead in the second set, before rallying from 0-4 in the decider to triumph after two hours and 45 minutes on Friday.

“There was a moment in the match where I felt what I was doing wasn’t working,” Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview. “He had a massive lead and momentum in what he was trying to do. I just tried to stay in the match as much as I could and that worked out very well. I wasn’t expecting much at that point being a double break down, so I relaxed at that point.”

Both hit aggressively throughout as they entertained the raucous crowd on Court Rainier III with their shotmaking and agility. Tsitsipas looked down and out at 0-4 in the third set after losing nine out of 10 games from 5-2 up in the second set. However, the World No. 5 then started to find his rhythm once again, hitting with greater width and topspin once again to triumph.

“It was extremely close,” Tsitsipas said. “I was really close in the second set. That was the moment I had a big chance to close it out but Diego is Diego and I had to be Stefanos in the third set.”

According to Tennis Data Innovation’s Balance of Power, the Greek hit 22% of his shots in the match from offensive positions, compared to 14% for Schwartzman. Tsitsipas’ ability to get on the front foot paid dividends throughout the match, but never more so than in his late charge. (Learn more about Balance of Power.)

Tsitsipas is now two wins away from retaining his title in Monte Carlo, after he clinched his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown at the event last year. The World No. 5 ruthlessly dispatched 2019 champion Fabio Fognini and Serbian Laslo Djere in his opening two matches and will compete in his ninth semi-final at this level on Saturday.

With his victory, the 23-year-old has levelled his ATP Head2Head series with Schwartzman at 2-2 and will next play Alexander Zverev after the German edged Jannik Sinner 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(5).

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Tsitsipas is aiming to win his first title since he captured the crown in Lyon last May. His best result this season came in Rotterdam, where he enjoyed a run to the final before losing to Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The third seed made a fast start, racing into a 5-0 lead as he had success on return, taking heavy cuts at the ball to pin Schwartzman deep behind the baseline. Tsitsipas dictated the backhand exchanges as he caused the Argentine problems with his heavy topspin.

After moving ahead, Tsitsipas continued to play with high intensity as he gained the crucial break in the fourth game to gain further control. However, from 2-5 Schwartzman battled back to 5-5 as Tsitsipas’ level dipped under pressure. The World No. 16 sensed his chance and played a faultless tie-break to level the match.

Schwartzman then soared into a 4-0 lead in the deciding set, but Tsitsipas would not be denied, storming back as he regained his focus and top level to triumph in one of the matches of the season.

Earlier on Friday Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina eliminated Taylor Fritz in the three sets, while Grigor Dimitrov overcame Hubert Hurkacz in another match that went the distance.

Schwartzman was aiming to reach his first Masters 1000 semi-final, having reached the last four on the clay in Rome in 2019 and 2020.

In Friday’s marquee quarter-final at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner lived up to the billing and then some by producing a Monaco classic over the course of three hours and seven minutes.

In a back-and-forth contest that saw 10 breaks of serve, Zverev finished strongest in a 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(5) victory to reach his second Monte Carlo semi-final.

“It means a lot, definitely, especially [with] how this year has been going so far for me,” said Zverev after his marathon win. “I’ve lost long matches like that, so I’m happy I won this one.”

The high level of play throughout the match belied the physical knocks both players battled through — Sinner with a foot blister and Zverev with a right thigh problem. Despite both men looking uneasy at times in between points, there was no let-up when the ball was in play as both combined big power with exceptional angles and touch in a thoroughly entertaining contest.

Zverev, who had not dropped a set until this quarter-final, continues to take advantage of his opportunity to close the gap on Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev atop the ATP Rankings. The World No. 3 can close to within 235 points of World No. 1 Djokovic with the title in Monte Carlo.

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Early breaks of serve were erased in all three sets, with Sinner coming from behind to take the opener and Zverev returning the favour in set two. The German was twice pegged back in the third, and forced a decisive tie-break after missing out on a break point at 5-5.

In the face of tremendous crowd support for his opponent, Zverev edged a 7/5 tie-break in which half of the points went against serve, roaring with delight when a Sinner backhand found the net on match point.

The German was delighted to come out on top in a see-saw battle as he hunts a first title of 2022. “I’ve lost so many matches [like that] this year,” he said. “I guess it’s in the back of my mind and I think this one will definitely help.”

Sinner was previously six-for-six in decisive sets on the 2022 ATP Tour season, and seven-for-seven in tie-breaks.

It looked like the Italian could wrap the match up in two sets after he scored an early break in the second. But after Sinner began to lose the positional battle and fell back beyond the baseline, Zverev suddenly became the aggressor. Once the match turned, Sinner’s dogged defense was not enough to halt the second seed’s relentless charge.

Zverev now awaits the winner of defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas’ matchup with Deigo Schwartzman.

Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah surged to their first semi-final of the 2022 season by halting Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title defence in the quarter-finals on Friday.

A break in each set was enough for the Colombian duo to secure a 6-4, 6-4 victory on Court des Princes as they reached a third semi-final at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Cabal and Farah came into Monte Carlo with a 5-7 record for the year but the former top-ranked pairing have looked back to their best in Monaco this week. They offered up no break point opportunities to Mektic and Pavic and won 81 per cent (30/37) of points behind their first delivery in the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

It was the second tour-level meeting between the two teams, with Cabal and Farah also defeating the Croatians in straight sets in the final of the 2021 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The Colombian duo now faces either eighth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer or wild card pairing Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals.

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Top seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury stayed on track in their bid for a maiden title in Monte Carlo with a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 win over Tim Puetz and Michael Venus.

The American-British pairing is chasing a second Masters 1000 title after lifting the trophy at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto in 2021. The world’s top-ranked team seeks to celebrate Joe Salisbury’s first tournament at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings with the Monte Carlo crown, which would be the pair’s maiden tour-level title on clay.

Their next opponents will be Rohan Bopanna and Jamie Murray, who held their nerve to come through two dramatic tie-breaks and upset third seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos earlier on Friday.

The Indian-British team won Match Tie-breaks in its opening two rounds in Monte Carlo and proved their mettle once again in the quarter-finals against four-time Masters 1000 champions Granollers and Zeballos. Bopanna and Murray saved two set points in each Tie-break to clinch a 7-6(8), 7-6(8) victory and book a semi-final appointment with the top seeds.

“It all starts from Monte Carlo.”

When Stefanos Tsitsipas lifted his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the 2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, the Greek had a feeling that things had come full circle.

“My mum won the ladies tournament in Monte Carlo when she was 16 or 17 years old, and it was a big one for her,” the Greek recently told ATP Uncovered. “So, [the Monte Carlo Country Club] meant a lot to me. Getting that win in Monte Carlo was incredible for so many reasons, mostly because of my mum, but also because I first came there when I was six years old.

“It just means something extra when you’re stepping out on that Monte Carlo court. You can feel its legacy.”

Tsitsipas had impressed in the early stages of 2021, reaching the championship match in Acapulco and the semi-finals at the Australian Open and in Rotterdam, but he arrived in Monte Carlo still hunting a first title of the year. Those results were nonetheless enough to give him belief that he could go deep in the Principality.

“I was excited walking into the clay-court season with a lot of confidence and knowing that I can pull good things off,” he said. “I very much remember how I was trying to enjoy the process of it and not focus too much on the destination.”

Tsitsipas had not been past the third round in his two previous appearances in Monte Carlo, but he enjoyed a dream week as he roared to the title without dropping a set.

“It was a tournament where I felt like I was at home and every single day seemed to get better than the one before,” said Tsitsipas. “I was on a good run. I was feeling good with my game, and I was feeling like I can utilize all of my weapons and take advantage of my best strokes. And it kind of seemed to be working day after day.”

Tsitsipas saw off Aslan Karatsev, Cristian Garin and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina before taking out Daniel Evans, the Brit who had stunned top seed Novak Djokovic in the third round, to reach a third Masters 1000 final.

His opponent in the championship match was sixth seed Andrey Rublev, with both men seeking a maiden Masters 1000 crown. The Russian could not cope with Tsitsipas, however, as the Greek broke three times on his way to a 6-3, 6-3 victory.

“I knew that I was going to have to put out my best tennis against him because we both deserved our spot in the final,” said Tstisipas. “I was trying to stay as much as I could in the rallies, and I honestly couldn’t believe at the end how much my efforts paid off.

“It was a very good finish with my family being there and being very emotional at the end.”

Grigor Dimitrov continues to look comfortable on the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters clay.

The Bulgarian kept his focus to clinch a dramatic final set in a tie-break and upset Hubert Hurkacz on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 event for the second time.

The World No. 29 dug deep in the face of a strong comeback from 11th seed Hurkacz to clinch a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2) victory and reach an eighth Masters 1000 semi-final.

Dimitrov produced trademark moments of brilliance for an excited crowd on Court Rainier III, but was just as happy to do the dirty work against an opponent who particularly found his range in the second and third sets.

The win backs up Dimitrov’s impressive third-round win over clay-court tour de force Casper Ruud. He will now attempt to reach a third Masters 1000 championship match in a semi-final clash with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, after the Spaniard defeated Taylor Fritz 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 earlier on Friday.

Hurkacz came into the match off the back of impressive wins over renowned dirtballers Pedro Martinez and Albert Ramos-Vinolas, but the Pole struggled to settle in the first set against Dimitrov. The Bulgarian took full advantage, pulling his opponent around the court to great effect and sealing the only break of the set to love in the third game.

World No. 11 Hurkacz found a much higher level in the second frame. The Pole broke for 4-2 and sealed the set with consecutive drop shots that caught his opponent off-guard.

Neither player gave an inch in a tense deciding set and the pair exchanged breaks twice, but it was Dimitrov who found something extra at the death. The Bulgarian hit with variety in the tie-break to force a frustrated Hurkacz into a series of errors as the 2017 Western & Southern Open champion clinched victory in two hours, 27 minutes.

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The pair’s sole previous tour-level meeting had also been a Masters 1000 quarter-final decided with a final-set tie-break, Dimitrov also prevailing on that occasion at the 2021 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. With the win, Dimitrov moves to a 20-8 record at the Monte Carlo event. Four of his defeats in the Principality have come against 11-time champion Rafael Nadal.

If Dimitrov reaches the final he should reclaim a spot in the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings on Monday, with the former World No. 3 already projected to rise to No. 23 following his win over Hurkacz.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina broke new ground Friday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, overcoming 10th seed Taylor Fritz 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

The Spaniard upset World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the second round and he demonstrated high levels of confidence against Fritz on Court Rainier III to further back up that win, after also eliminating Marrakech champion David Goffin in the third round.

The 22-year-old played with great intensity as he struck his groundstrokes with width to pull Fritz around the court. Davidovich Fokina consistently engaged the crowd throughout with his shotmaking and fist-pumping, advancing after two hours and 24 minutes.

“I am so, so happy,” Davidovich Fokina said in his on-court interview. “Last year I reached the quarter-finals. The emotions to be in the semi-finals are so high. I am enjoying every point. In the first set I had a lot of chances to break but I didn’t do it. But I just stayed focused and believed in myself.”

The World No. 46 now leads Fritz 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series and will next face 2018 semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov or 11th seed Hubert Hurkacz in the last four.

“When you beat the World No. 1 it gives you a lot of confidence physically, mentally and technically,” Davidovich Fokina added. “I am pushing myself every match to play harder and harder.”

Davidovich Fokina has a strong record at the clay-court event, having defeated Top 10 star Matteo Berrettini en route to the quarter-finals last season. Earlier this year he enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals in Doha, but arrived in Monte Carlo off the back of three straight defeats.

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Despite the scoreline, the first set was a close affair, with Fritz playing better in the key moments as he fended off all five break points. The American did struggle with a problem with his lower left ab, but it didn’t impact his level as he crushed forehands and demonstrated great touch around the net to move ahead.

Davidovich Fokina came roaring back in the second set though, stepping deep behind the baseline to take heavy cuts at the ball as he powered his shots with fierce accuracy. The Spaniard finally broke in the ninth game before he levelled the match on his first set point, letting out a scream in delight.

The Spaniard continued to put his foot down in the second set as he looked the fresher of the two, dominating the longer exchanges to triumph.

Fritz ended Rafael Nadal’s unbeaten start to the season to lift his maiden Masters 1000 trophy in Indian Wells in March and transferred his strong hard-court form onto the clay this week at the Monte Carlo Country Club.

The 24-year-old defeated wild card Lucas Catarina, Croatian Marin Cilic and countryman Sebastian Korda to become the first American to reach the last eight in Monte Carlo since Sam Querrey in 2008.