Novak Djokovic saw his hopes of winning a third Monte-Carlo Masters flattened by Casper Ruud in the semi-finals, while Stefanos Tsitsipas stunned second seed Jannik Sinner.
Ruud captured the biggest win of his career as he upset world No 1 Djokovic 6-4 1-6 6-4 to reach his second ATP Masters 1000 final and first since 2022.
The Norwegian had never won a set off Djokovic in the pair’s previous five meetings, but he clubbed 23 winners to outlast the Serbian in a thrilling contest to set up a final date with Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has earlier shocked second seed Jannik Sinner.
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Norwegian Ruud, who had lost to Djokovic in all five of their previous matches, broke twice early in the first set before the 24-time Grand Slam champion fought back strongly in the second.
Eighth seed Ruud held his nerve, however, as five unforced errors from Djokovic allowed him to go 3-0 up in the decider before he calmly closed out the victory.
“I am super happy,” Ruud said. “This is a day I will remember for a long time. Beating a world No 1 is something I have never done and beating Novak is something I have never done. I am very, very happy. I am a little bit in a state of shock right now.
“I was up in the third and he came back, typical how good these guys are under pressure. And I was thinking please don’t let this slip away and 0-40 in the last game, it is not done.
“When he missed the first serve [at 30-40], he saved so many break points in crazy ways, with huge second serves. I prayed one time, let it be a double fault and something above listened and of course it was unfortunate to end the match with a double fault but for me it was nice to see that ball sail long.”
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Djokovic powered this shot down the line to force a break back against Ruud in a vintage moment!
Tale of the Tape
Tsitsipas knocks out Sinner to reach Monte Carlo final
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Highlights of the semi-final match between Stephanos Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner
Tsitsipas stunned Sinner 6-4 3-6 6-4 to advance to the final and stay on course for his third title in the Principality.
The 25-year-old Greek, who has won the title in 2021 and 2022, kept his cool after a near-flawless display in the opening set to stop Sinner from producing a stirring comeback after the Italian roared back to take a 3-0 lead in the second set.
Sinner continued to build momentum after levelling things up and raced to a 4-3 lead in the decider before an injury on his right leg forced him to take a medical timeout.
The 22-year-old Italian continued the match but proved no match for Tsitsipas who re-asserted himself to win three games in a row and clinched the match.
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Tsitsipas says he showed ‘true excellence’ in his victory over Sinner which secured his place in the Monte Carlo Masters final
“It was tennis at the highest level that I have been able to play,” Tsitsipas said after the match.
“He is one of the toughest opponents I have faced so far… to find a way when there were not many, I am extremely proud of that.”
Sinner had been in red-hot form this year, having won the Australian, Rotterdam and Miami Open, with his only loss in 23 matches coming against twice Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final of the Indian Wells last month.
Having come into the contest with an 11-6 win-loss record for 2024, the win against Sinner ensured that Tsitsipas returned to the top 10 in the rankings after dropping out for the first time since 2019 earlier in the year.
Tale of the Tape
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