By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, April 17, 2021
Stefanos Tsitsipas broke in five of Dan Evans' eight service games delivering a 6-2, 6-1 demolition to reach his first Monte-Carlo Masters final.
Photo credit: Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters
There is a time and place for everything.
A first career Masters semifinal in Monte-Carlo against a masterful Stefanos Tsitsipas was not the time or place for Dan Evans today.
Podcast: Reviewing a Wild Week in Monte-Carlo
A dynamic Tsitsipas dominated from first ball to last dismissing Evans 6-2, 6-1 in charging into his first Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final. It was Tsitsipas' third win in as many meetings with Evans.
The 2019 ATP Finals champion has surrendered just 22 games in four tournament victories to reach his third Masters 1000 final.
"I'm feeling good. I'm feeling energized," Tsitsipas said. "I still have plenty of gas and energy left in me. I was able to have all of my matches done in two sets, so that is I would say a big plus. I am happy to be able to play that way, just take it match by match, approach each individual match with the same intensity and energy.
"That has obviously contributed to that, to be able to finish the matches in two sets, not go to three-setters. I'm really focused for tomorrow."
Continuing his quest for his first Masters title, Tsitsipas will take on sixth-seeded Andrey Rublev in tomrrow's final. Rublev backed up his quarterfinal upset of 11-time champion Rafael Nadal yesterday defeating 22-year-old Casper Ruud 6-3, 7-5.
The 23-year-old Rublev owns an ATP-best 24-4 record on the season and has split six career clashes vs. Tsitsipas. Rublev out-dueled Tsitsipas 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the Hamburg final on red clay last October.
"I'm going full in. I'm going to try to give it my best," Tsitsipas told Tennis Channel's Prakash Amritraj afterward. "I've had the opportunities in past finals I've played against good players.
"I see it as an opportunity for me to do even better this time. Of course my will is there and all of my determination is 100 percent."
The 30-year-old Evans had unsettled opponents, including world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and 2017 Monte-Carlo semifinalist David Goffin, with his creative variety. Evans arrived in Monte-Carlo with just four career clay-court victories and matched that total this week with an inspired run.
Facing a former Masters finalist for the fifth time this week, Evans came up against an opponent who matches his versatility and brings more volatility and point-ending power.
Tsitsipas showed it all punishing the Briton's serve breaking in five of Evans' eight service games and running through five straight games to cap a commanding performance in 69 minutes.
Evans dodged a pair of break points in his first service game. Tsitsipas applied the pressure again in the second game.
Repelling the Briton's serve-and-volley effort off a second serve, Tsitsipas put a ball behind Evans breaking for 3-1.
The fourth-seeded Greek gave back the break scattering errors in a sloppy fifth game.
Tsitsipas recovered using his legs to run down a drive and extend the point, he drew an errant smash for another break point. Evans missed a forehand as Tsitsipas regained the break for 4-2.
Powering through his service game, Tsitsipas backed up the break at 15.
Rattled by the 6'4" Greek's superior power in baseline exchanges, Evans tried the serve-and-volley but could not gain much satisfaction spitting up his second double fault dropping serve at love. Tsitsipas, who threatened in every Evans service games, took a one-set lead after 38 minutes.
Tsitsipas torched 10 more winners—13 to 3—in the opening set and was more formidable in forehand exchanges firing nine forehand winners to one for Evans.
Crackling power and all-court ability that can match his opponent, has given Tsitsipas the clear edge in this match-up. Fifty-five minutes into the match, the Greek showcased his variety, rapping a backhand pass for break point then opening the court with a high-bounding forehand and sliding into a backhand volley to earn his fourth break for 3-1.
On this day there was no safe space for Evans as Tsitsipas won seven of the Brit's 11 trips to net. Tsitsipas spun a forehand pass for another break point in the sixth game. The Greek gained his fifth break in eight service games for 5-1.
Serving for his third Masters 1000 final, Tsitsipas closed at love.