Lorenzo Musetti Stuns Monte Carlo Masters Champion Stefanos Tsitsipas To Reach Semis

Italian Lorenzo Musetti beat a "heartbroken" Stefanos Tsitsipas 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday to knock out the holder and reach the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters. Musetti fought back after losing the first set against the three-time tournament winner to tee up a last four tie with Australian Alex de Minaur. The 23-year-old claimed his first victory over the Greek former world number three in five meetings. "It has a special, let's say, flavour not just because he's the defending champion here, but because before today, I never won against him," Musetti told reporters.

"It was probably one of the toughest challenges that I've faced in my career so far.

"Regarding the match of tomorrow, I think there is no favourite.

"Tomorrow we'll gonna see who is the favourite one on the court, and when we will shake hands, there's gonna be a winner," the world number 16 added.

Tsitsipas missed out on defending his title having won in 2021, 2022 and last year.

"It's difficult to accept," Tsitsipas said.

"I felt I had every reason to try and win. It is definitely heartbreaking," he added.

Earlier, De Minaur produced a ruthless performance to dismantle an out-of-sorts Grigor Dimitrov 6-0, 6-0 in just 45 minutes, with the match finishing to a backdrop of boos from the crowd.

Dimitrov mustered just one winner in total, made 23 unforced errors and won only five points in the second set.

Carlos Alcaraz battled back from a set down to beat French rising star Arthur Fils in a gripping quarter-final.

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.

"I think his level is high