The Spanish Alejandro Davidovich prolonged his idyll with the Monte Carlo tournament and for the first time in his career he reached the semifinals of a Masters 1000 after overcoming the American Taylor Fritz in the quarters, 2-6, 6-4 and 6-3after two hours and twenty-four minutes of play.
Is a big week for the tennis player from Malaga Twenty-two years old who was already a quarterfinalist in the Monegasque event, the first in this category on gravel. He achieved the most important victory of his career against the number one in the world, the Serbian Novak Djokovicin the second round, and now it has crossed the barrier in which it stagnated a course ago.
The Spaniard did not give the feeling at first of being able to beat the American number one, the first to be among the top eight in Monte Carlo since Sam Querrey in 2008. Davidovich started with some pressure. He knew that he was facing a great opportunity to score in his career.
Fritz, the only player who this season has beaten Rafael Nadal so far this season to conquer, weeks ago, the Indian Wells Masters 1000, the second title of his career and the most relevant at the moment, showed more poise and more success. He pointed up his sleeve with authority and excessive solvency.
The former world number two and junior Wimbledon champion couldn’t find a way to break the American’s serve. It was in the final stretch of the second set, at the eighth opportunity, when he managed to break and serve to tie the match. He did it. He struggled to tie the sleeve but he succeeded.
Davidovich took a weight off his shoulders and everything changed. He gained in determination, serenity. And he began to add up the tally of winning points. He kept up the type at the start of the final set and when he broke again, for the second time, he accelerated. Fritz sank, resigned to his defeat.
The man from Malaga, the second youngest in the remainder of the tournament behind the Italian Jannik Sinner, once again knocked down Fritz, tenth favorite, whom he was able to beat in Estoril in 2019. Also on clay.
The only surviving Spaniard in Monte Carlo is facing a unique opportunity. He will seek the final against the winner of the duel between the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and the Polish Hubert Hurkacz.