Title-holder Tsitsipas, No. 2 seed Zverev serve up Monte Carlo semifinal showdown with contrasting last eight victories

MONTE CARLO: Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas recovered from 0-4 down in the final set to defeat Diego Schwartzman on Friday to reach the Monte Carlo Masters semifinals where he will face Olympic champion Alexander Zverev.

Greek third seed Tsitsipas had been a set and 5-2 ahead at one stage and seemingly cruising to the last four.

However, his Argentine opponent hit back only to be thwarted in a quarterfinal which wrapped up at 11:00pm local time.

“I don’t think I’ve ever made such a comeback in my career. It was crazy... I found the resources and I’m proud of it,” said Tsitsipas.

Second-seeded Zverev won through 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) against Italian 12th-seed Jannik Sinner in just over three hours.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Grigor Dimitrov advanced to the other semifinal.

“Sad to have won,” said an ironic Zverev to a crowd made up of many vocal Italians.

Davidovich Fokina added Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz to his high profile scalps this week with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.

The 22-year-old Spaniard, ranked 46th in the world, ousted world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the second round.

On Saturday, he will play Dimitrov, who also needed three sets to get past Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2).

“When you beat the world number one it gives you a lot of confidence physically, mentally and technically,” said Davidovich Fokina.

“I am pushing myself every match to play harder and harder.”

Zverev, the world No. 3, shrugged off a thigh problem and looked to have the upper hand, reeling off a series of 13 winning points for a 4-1 lead in the first set against a 20-year-old opponent nursing a blistered foot.

But Sinner, buoyed on by a vocal Italian crowd on the French Riviera not far from home, fought