We were expecting a final between the two world leaders, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner. We will finally have a duel between Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas. This Saturday, in the semi-final of the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo, the Serbian was eliminated in three sets by the Norwegian (6-4, 1-6, 6-4). A surprising defeat for the world No. 1, who broke down during his last service game.
Casper Ruud started ideally. More consistent in the long rallies, the Norwegian wore down Novak Djokovic, not yet imperial for his return to competition after skipping the Masters 1000 in Miami. Inconsistent, the Serbian chased the score for a long time, before letting the first round slip away.
🎾 #RolexMonteCarloMasters | 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝘂𝗱 𝗲́𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗸 𝗗𝗷𝗼𝗸𝗼𝘃𝗶 𝗰!
❌ The Serbian cracks a double fault to offer the Norwegian a place in the final, he who had never beaten him! pic.twitter.com/vTIzeeJhpK
— francetvsport (@francetvsport) April 13, 2024
However, he set the sights in the second set. With only two unforced errors, compared to nine in the first round, Novak Djokovic posed many more difficulties for Casper Ruud, who was unable to resist. Quickly dominated, the world No. 10 finally let this set slip away to concentrate on the decisive round.
This one was much tighter. Having become imprecise again, the Serb became annoyed when he saw that events were not turning out in his favor. Broken from the start, he still got back to 4-4, before giving in on his own throw-in on the Norwegian’s third match point.
The 8th seed of this tournament therefore advances to the final, its first on the Rock. He will face double winner Stefanos Tsitsipas (2021 and 2022), who took advantage of a slightly weakened Jannik Sinner to win in the semi-final (6-4, 3-6, 6-4).
