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World No. 12 Stefanos Tsitsipas' resurgence continued at the Monte-Carlo Masters as the Greek eased past Karen Khachanov to reach the semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event on Friday.
The World No. 12 registered a 6-4, 6-2 triumph against Khachanov for a place in the semis. "I would lie if I said it doesn't bring good memories stepping out on this court. It's something that I attribute some of my performances here over time to. I come back here, and I sort of relive those memories of the past. It gives good feelings to me when I'm able to play in front of crowds like this and be able to try and strive for excellence with my game," Tsitsipas said as quoted by ATP. After taking some strong early shots from Khachanov, Tsitsipas remained unwavering and went on to defeat his opponent, who was ranked just five spots lower in the ATP Rankings, in 83 minutes. Tsitsipas entered the Principality with a modest 11-6 record for 2024, but it seems that returning to the venue where he won back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022 has energized him. The 25-year-old Greek will now try to make it to his third appearance in a championship match in Monte-Carlo when he faces either Holger Rune or Jannik Sinner in the final four. In the first game of the match, Tsitsipas broke Khachanov's serve. Although he lost service again in the following game, Tsitsipas eventually served well to thwart Khachanov's attempts to dominate in return. According to ATP Stats, the Greek won 84 per cent (27/32) of the points after first serves, extending his lead in the Lexus ATP Head2Head over Khachanov to 8-1. At 2-2 in the second set, Khachanov called the physiotherapist to treat his leg, but he was able to move freely until the match's conclusion. But after giving Tsitsipas a break for 3-2 with an easy overhead miss, he was clearly upset and could not generate a break point on his next serve in the second set. "My returns were effective. I was generating a lot of pace and gained good momentum at some point. He seemed good and well-composed in his tennis. He wasn't giving away too many unforced errors and seemed pretty calm from behind the baseline. I tried to do my part, which was to press as much as I could and not rush myself into the rallies," Tsitsipas said. "I was trying to predict and read certain things on the court and it worked out pretty well. I took my time once again to understand what works and what doesn't and today I was persistent in my efforts to walk away with something good," he added. (ANI)
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