Monte-Carlo champion Tsitsipas revelling in his return to clay

Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters | Draw | Order of play

It was the Monte-Carlo Masters of 2021 that really started the ball rolling for Stefanos Tsitsipas, his first Masters 1000 title the springboard for an outstanding clay-court season that led him to within one set of the French Open title.

And a return to the Principality seems to be suiting the Greek nicely in 2022, the defending champion easing through to the quarter-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters with a hard-fought, but efficient 7-5, 7-6 (1) win over Laslo Djere of Serbia on Thursday.

“I knew I had to be alert and 100%,” Tsitsipas said. “I had to bring the best out of my game today. I really had to work hard for today’s win.”

Tsitsipas will play Diego Schwartzman of Argentina in the last eight.

Djere had taken Tsitsipas to two tiebreak sets in their recent meeting in Acapulco and arrived in Monte-Carlo in form, having reached the semi-finals in Marrakech last week.

And the Serb played well throughout, just two minor lapses at the end of each set costing him dear. First, he was broken in the 12th game of the opener when he put a backhand wide; then, having had a couple of break points early in the second, was outplayed in the tiebreak as Tsitsipas clinched victory.

Other winners on Thursday included Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who followed up his shock victory over world No 1 Novak Djokovic with a 6-4, 6-1 win over David Goffin; and Taylor Fritz, who knocked out Sebastian Korda, the conqueror of Carlos Alcaraz, 7-6, 7-5.

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