Novak Djokovic saw his hopes of winning a third Monte Carlo Masters dashed by Casper Ruud in the semi-final, while Stefanos Tsitsipas stunned second seed Jannik Sinner.
Ruud scored the biggest victory of his career by beating world number 1 Djokovic 6-4 1-6 6-4 to reach his second ATP Masters 1000 final and first since 2022.
The Norwegian had never won a set against Djokovic in the duo’s previous five meetings, but he bludgeoned 23 winners to outlast the Serb in a thrilling contest to set up a final date with Stefanos Tsitsipas, who had earlier shocked the second top seed Jannik Sinner.
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Norway’s Ruud, who had lost to Djokovic in his previous five matches, broke twice early in the first set before the 24-time Grand Slam champion fought back strongly in the second.
However, eighth-seeded Ruud kept his cool, as five unforced errors from Djokovic put him 3-0 up in the final before calmly closing out the victory.
“I’m super happy,” Ruud said. “It’s a day I’ll remember for a long time. Beating a world number 1 is something I’ve never done and beating Novak is something I’ve never done. I’m very, very happy. I’m a bit in a state of shock at the moment.
“I was leading in the third and he came back, which is typical of how good these guys are under pressure. And I was thinking please don’t let this get away from you and 0-40 in the last game , it is not done.
“When he missed the first serve (at 30-40), he saved so many break points in a crazy way, with huge second serves. I prayed once, that it was a double fault and something above listened and of course it was unfortunate to end the match with a double fault but for me it was nice to see that ball sail for a long time.”
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Djokovic powered this shot down the line to force a break against Ruud in a vintage moment!
Tale of the gang
Tsitsipas eliminates Sinner and reaches the Monte-Carlo final
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Highlights from the semi-final between Stephanos Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner
Tsitsipas surprised Sinner 6-4 3-6 6-4 to qualify for the final and stay on course for his third title in the Principality.
The 25-year-old Greek, who won the title in 2021 and 2022, kept his cool after a near-flawless performance in the first set to prevent Sinner from producing a stirring comeback after the Italian fought back to take a 3-0. leads in the second set.
Sinner continued his momentum after tying things up and took a 4-3 lead in the deciding game before a right leg injury forced him to take a medical timeout.
The 22-year-old Italian continued the match but failed to prove he was a match for Tsitsipas who reasserted himself to win three games in a row and took the match.
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Tsitsipas says he showed ‘true excellence’ in victory over Sinner that secured his place in Monte Carlo Masters final
“This is tennis at the highest level I have ever played,” Tsitsipas said after the match.
“He’s one of the toughest opponents I’ve faced so far…to find a way when there weren’t many, I’m extremely proud of that.”
Sinner has been in fine form this year, having won the Australian Open, Rotterdam and Miami Open, with his only loss in 23 matches coming against two-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semi-finals last month. last.
Coming into the competition with an 11-6 win-loss record for 2024, the victory against Sinner saw Tsitsipas return to the top 10 in the rankings after dropping out for the first time since 2019 earlier in the year.
Tale of the gang
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