Carlos Alcaraz fought back from the brink to defeat Arthur Fils at the Monte-Carlo Masters, turning what looked like certain defeat into a thrilling comeback victory.
The Spaniard had never reached the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo before. His opponent Fils, meanwhile, has been a quarter-final regular in Masters events this year.
The two share a close friendship off the court, exchanging a warm hug before the match began. But once play started, that friendship was temporarily set aside as both men battled for every point.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| es Carlos Alcaraz | 21 | 68,791 | 25 - 5 |
Fils came out firing, picking up right where he left off after his impressive win over Andrey Rublev. He broke Alcaraz’s serve twice to race to a 3-0 lead.
Alcaraz was in trouble early.
The four-time Grand Slam champion managed to claw one break back, and even created four break points with Fils leading 3-2. But the Frenchman held firm, saving all four to maintain his advantage at 4-2.
Though Alcaraz eventually leveled at 4-4, Fils stepped up when it mattered most. He broke again for 5-4 and fended off two break points to close out the first set 6-4.
What really hurt Alcaraz in that opening set was his efficiency on break points. While Fils converted all three of his opportunities, Alcaraz managed just two from nine chances.
The second set saw a complete reversal of fortunes. Alcaraz faced seven break points across the first eleven games but somehow saved every single one.
With the pressure mounting at 5-5, Alcaraz held serve and then seized his only break point of the set to snatch it 7-5.
Fils wasn’t done yet.
The Frenchman came out strong in the deciding set, breaking early for a 3-1 lead. Alcaraz looked frustrated at times, but channeled that emotion into his tennis.
What followed was simply remarkable. Alcaraz reeled off five consecutive games to complete the comeback, taking the match 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
He’ll now face fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the semi-finals.
After the match, Alcaraz was clearly relieved about finding a way to stay in the contest when things weren’t going his way.
“I just wanted to stay strong. Waited for my chances. I felt in the first set he played well. Probably a few mistakes from my side. His level is pretty high right now. He puts a lot of pressure on his opponents. I could feel it,” Alcaraz said.
“I think in some moments he made a few mistakes and I tried to make the most of it. Just tried to wait for my chances and tried to take it. In the second set, I saved break points at 5-5.”
“In the third set I tried to stay there, playing good tennis. When I was a break down I tried to keep going, playing aggressively. Be strong mentally, physically, and be waiting for my chances.”
