Alejandro Davidovich Fokina came back from one set down to beat this year’s Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz 2-6 6-4 6-3 after 2 hours and 24 minutes on Court Rainier III reaching his first Masters 1000 semifinal at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
Fritz saved all five break points in a close first set. The US player played better in key moments of the match breaking twice in the fourth and eighth games to seal the first set 6-2.
Davidovich Fokina came back in the second set breaking serve in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead. He saved three break points to level the match on his first set point.
Davidovich Fokina earned a break in the third game of the decider to take a 2-1 lead. Fritz converted his third break-back point in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. Fritz saved four break points before holding serve in a five-deuce fifth game. Davidovich Fokina won the final three games with two breaks to seal the third set 6-3.
Earlier this week Davidovich Fokina beat world number 1 Novak Djokovic and last week’s Marrakesh champion David Goffin.
Davidovich Fokina now leads 2-0 in his two head-to-head matches against Fritz. In their only previous clash the Spanish player had beaten his US rival 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 in Estoril 2019.
In last year’s edition of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters Davidovich Fokina beat top 10 player Matteo Berrettini en route to the quarter finals.
This season Davidovich Fokina reached the quarter final in Doha, but he lost in the first round in Miami and Marrakesh.
“I am so happy. Last year I reached the quarter finals. The emotions to be in the semifinals are so high. I am enjoying every point. In the first set I had a lot of chances to break but I did not do it, but I just stayed focused and believed in myself”, said Davidovich Fokina.
Last month Fritz stopped Rafael Nadal’s unbeaten start to the season to win his first Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells. Earlier this week the Californian player beat wild card Lucas Catarina, Marin Cilic and Sebastian Korda to become the first UP player to reach the quarter final in Monte-Carlo since Sam Querrey in 2008.
