Alcaraz Extinguishes Fire Against Fils

Arthur Fils ended his match against Carlos Alcaraz by smashing his racket in frustration. He had victory and his first semi-final in a Masters 1,000 within reach, but the Murcian, despite being far from last year's brilliance and decisiveness, turned the match around in Monte Carlo (4-6, 7-5, 6-3) and will face Alejandro Davidovich this Saturday for a place in the tournament final.

What unfolded on the Rainier III court in the Principality was an escapology act by Alcaraz, who seems prone to slow and poor starts in this setting, allowing too much to his opponent and making them believe they can walk away with the win.

The first set, despite its ups and downs and comebacks, was weak from the Murcian, who lost his serve three times and only converted two of the nine break points he had. Supported by a powerful forehand, Fils had the match where he wanted it, with the crowd slightly favouring him.

Under the gaze of Prince Albert II and footballer Paulo Dybala, two of the big stars in the stands, Fils should have closed the match in the second set. He failed to convert any of the seven break points he had, including a 0-40 at 5-5 that would have allowed him to serve for a place in the semi-finals.

Alcaraz sweated to level at 40 and then conjured a winning forehand and a precise drop shot to hold his serve and strike the final blow. He won nine of the last ten points and levelled a match he was almost out of.

This, however, was not enough to knock Fils down, who rose to gain a 3-1 advantage in the third set, putting Alcaraz on alert again. If he didn't improve, he would fall short of his second semi-final of the year.

He started playing more and more to the Frenchman's backhand, his weaker shot, pinning him to the court. Fils needed more time to recover and disliked the long rallies more and more. He ended up exhausted and finally succumbed when Alcaraz, with the score at 3-3 and 30-30, delivered a winning parallel backhand. From that moment, Fils didn't win another game. He broke one racket. The 54 unforced errors were too much for him.

"Honestly, I just wanted to hang in there and wait for my chances. It was a very tough match because Fils is at a very high level, with spectacular ball speed. The match was decided by small details," he stated.

The semi-finals will feature a Spanish duel. Alcaraz will face Alejandro Davidovich, who has reached the Monte Carlo semi-finals for the second time in his career after defeating Alexei Popyrin in straight sets. It will be the second match between the Murcian and the Malaga native after their quarter-final clash at the Conde de Godó in 2023.