The Japan Times - Alcaraz fights back against Fils to reach Monte Carlo semis

The four-time Grand Slam champion, targeting his first Masters title since winning in Indian Wells last year, saved three break points in the 11th game of the second set en route to a dramatic 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory.

He will face unseeded fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Saturday for a place in the final.

Alcaraz's only title this season remains the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam in February but he appears to be enjoying his return to clay.

The 20-year-old Fils, seeded 12th, suffered a third successive quarter-final loss at Masters events this season after going out in the last eight at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

Alcaraz is a strong favourite to lift the title after early exits for Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, at an event where he had lost his only previous match in 2022.

He showed all of his battling qualities to get the better of Fils, in what is likely to have been their first meeting of many.

Fils made a flying start, reeling off the first three games of the match including two breaks of serve.

Alcaraz battled back to level at 4-4, pumping his fist after a break to love.

But he promptly lost his serve in the next game and Fils clinched a tense opening set, in which Alcaraz made 17 unforced errors, after saving two more break points.

A higher-quality second set stayed on serve until the 11th game, when Alcaraz hit a double-fault and then sent a groundstroke into the net to slip 0-40 down and to the brink of defeat.

But the second seed dug deep, pulling off a series of winners to save all three break points and edge 6-5 ahead.

Those missed opportunities appeared to take a toll on Fils, as he limply surrendered his serve and the second set in the following game.

The world number 15 bounced back quickly, breaking early in the decider and then holding from 15-40 down to move 3-1 in front.

Alcaraz fought back again, powering into a 5-3 lead, with Fils finally cracking following that crucial break -- smashing his racquet and earning a code violation.

Alcaraz secured a semi-final berth with his fifth consecutive game when Fils dumped a sliced backhand into the bottom of the net.

- Davidovich Fokina continues Monaco love affair -

Earlier, Davidovich Fokina cruised into the semi-finals with a dominant victory over Alexei Popyrin.

World number 42 Davidovich Fokina, who was runner-up at the tournament in 2022 to Stefanos Tsitsipas, swatted aside Australia's Popyrin 6-3, 6-2 in the last eight.

Davidovich Fokina was full of confidence after dumping out British fifth seed Jack Draper in the last 16, but had to wait to take control of the first set.

Popyrin staved off three break points in a marathon sixth game to level at 3-3, but Davidovich Fokina did seal a break two games later and then confidently served out for a one-set lead.

Davidovich Fokina extended his run of successive games to seven as he raced into a 4-0 advantage in the second set, before securing victory on his second match point as Popyrin ballooned a backhand long.

Later on Friday, Grigor Dimitrov faces Alex de Minaur and three-time champion Stefanos Tsitsipas plays Lorenzo Musetti in the quarter-finals.

Y.Watanabe--JT