Stefanos Tsitsipas will play for his third Monte Carlo title on Sunday! The Greek took down world no. 2 Jannik Sinner 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in two hours and 40 minutes in the semi-final, delivering the second loss of the season for the Australian Open and Miami Masters champion.
Thus, Tsitsipas will compete in his first Masters 1000 final since Cincinnati 2022, earning enough points to return to the top-10. Sinner had a massive chance to bring the win home and advance into another notable final. The younger player led 3-1 in the final set and should have grabbed another break in the fifth game, only to lose it after a terrible mistake from the umpire.
Tsitsipas trailed 4-2 before shifting into a higher gear, rattling off the final four games and sealing the deal against an injured opponent who struggled physically in the closing stages.
Stefanos took two points more than Jannik, with nothing separating them from the baseline and in service winners. Tsitsipas had the edge in the shortest rallies up to four strokes, attacking first, mainly with his forehand.
Sinner erased the deficit in the mid-range exchanges, playing well in sets two and three but failing to bring the victory home. The Greek made a difference with the second serve, playing against only five break points and getting broken two times.
On the other hand, the Italian faced 15 break points and worked hard to stay in touch, getting broken three times, twice in the final service games of the duel! They barely lost a point behind the first serve in the opener, and Stefanos made the difference on the second, facing no break points and securing one break that sent him in front.
Sinner made a shaky start and suffered an early setback without a chance to erase it in the remaining games. The Italian denied a break point in the first game of the encounter with a service winner and held with another. The Greek responded with a fine hold in game two, landing an unreturned serve and holding for 1-1.
Firing up his forehand in the early stages, Stefanos created two break points in the third game.
Stefanos Tsitsipas took down Jannik Sinner in three sets in Monte Carlo.
Jannik saved the first with a service winner before falling on the second after a costly double fault.
The two-time champion painted a backhand winner in the fourth game, delivering a comfortable hold and cementing the advantage. Sinner reduced the deficit with a hold at love in game five, and Tsitsipas followed that pace in the next one, holding with a powerful serve and moving 4-2 in front.
Jannik grabbed the seventh game at 30, remaining within one break deficit and hoping for his first return chances. Instead, the Greek wrapped up the eighth game at 15, opening a 5-3 gap and forcing his rival to serve to stay in the set.
Sinner fired a 170 km/h forehand winner in the ninth game and brought it home in style, reducing the deficit to 5-4.
Tsitsipas served for the set in game ten and forced the rival’s mistake, clinching the opener after 44 minutes.
Stefanos lost the ground behind the first serve in the second set. However, he could have prolonged the set, losing serve once and creating six break chances. Jannik denied them and closed the set after nearly an hour, forcing a decider and prolonging his chances.
The Italian grabbed the first game with an ace and landed a forehand winner in the next one for two break points. World no. 2 seized the first, moving in front and cementing the lead with a hold at 15 a few minutes later after Tsitsipas’ drop shot mistake.
Sinner closed the fifth game with a forced error and created a break chance in the next one after a forehand down the line winner. Stefanos saved it and held, remaining within one break deficit. Jannik faced a break point in the seventh game and saved it with a forced error, holding and opening a 5-2 gap.
The Italian served for the set in game nine and encountered an ultimate challenge. Sinner denied two break points and created a set point. He squandered it and played against three more break chances. Sinner denied them and earned the second set point with a forehand winner.
The Italian converted it with a service winner, taking the set 6-3 and forcing a decider after an hour and 39 minutes. Stefanos played a loose forehand in the first game of the third set, losing serve and experiencing an early setback.
Jannik confirmed it with a hold at love in game two after a forehand winner, settling into a fine rhythm.
The fifth game proved crucial, with Tsitsipas hitting a double fault on a break point.
The umpire did not call it, and Jannik continued the point, losing it and missing a massive opportunity to secure a double break. Sinner easily held in the next game for 4-2, but things would only go down for him by the end of the duel.
The Greek created five break chances in the eighth game between the Italian’s game point. Stefanos seized the last after forcing Jannik’s mistake, pulling the break back and gathering a boost. Tsitsipas produced a comfortable hold in the ninth game and moved 5-4 in front.
Struggling with cramps, Sinner served to stay in the match in game ten and could not endure the pressure. Stefanos created two match points with a forced error and seized the first after the rival’s backhand error, booking a place in a much-needed final.
