Carlos Alcaraz produced a gutsy display on Friday, when he overcame a resilient, heavy-hitting performance from Arthur Fils to keep alive his title hopes at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
In a dramatic clash on Court Rainier III, Alcaraz was on the verge of defeat on several occasions but refused to surrender in a match of high-quality shot-making.
The World No. 3 crucially saved three break points at 5-5, 0/40 in the second set and rallied from 1-3 in the third set to earn a dramatic 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 quarter-final win.
“I just wanted to stay strong and wait for my chances,” Alcaraz said. “I think his level is high right now and he puts a lot of pressure on his opponents. Today I could feel it but in some moments he just made a few mistakes and I tried to make the most of those points and wait for my chances. The second set I saved those break points and then made the only break point I had that set.
“In the third set I was just trying to play good tennis. When I was a break down I just tried to keep going and play aggressively and be strong mentally and physically.”
Alcaraz is making just his second appearance in Monte-Carlo, having lost in his only previous match in 2022 to Sebastian Korda. The 21-year-old suffered a shock opening-round exit to David Goffin in Miami and has been slowly rediscovering his best level in The Principality.
After defeating Francisco Cerundolo and Daniel Altmaier in his first two matches, the World No. 3 survived his greatest test yet against Fils in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting to set a semi-final clash with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
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