America’s top-ranked male tennis player, Taylor Fritz, is showing that he has a viable clay court game.
Fritz defeated two-time Monte-Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to earn a trip to the semifinals.
WOW😲@Taylor_Fritz97 dominant display stuns double defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2 6-4. @ROLEXMCMASTERS | #RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/eSuHhdfGCr
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 14, 2023
Tsitsipas is the back-to-back champion winning the tournament in 2021 and 2022.
This is a huge statement victory for Fritz since American men are not traditionally known for being top-notch clay court players.
He next faces Andrey Rublev in the semifinals.
Fritz And Rune Pull Out Of Doubles
There will not be an opportunity for Fritz to contend for both singles and doubles titles.
Fritz and his partner Holger Rune withdrew from the doubles competition.
Rune won his quarterfinal singles match against Daniil Medvedev and will take on Jannik Sinner in the other semifinal match.
Holger Rune and Taylor Fritz stun the 2021 Monte-Carlo Champions Mate Pavić and Nikola Mektic in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to reach Men's Doubles Quarterfinal in Monte-Carlo 💪
📷 @TennisTV #HolgerRune #TaylorFritz #MonteCarlo #Tennis pic.twitter.com/qYwH0fnYUg
— Sportskeeda Tennis (@SK__Tennis) April 11, 2023
Fritz and Rune were a fun team to watch, and hopefully, we see more of them in doubles in the future.
Is The Changing Of The Guard Upon Us?
With the performance of the younger generation at this tournament, it is not hard to reach the conclusion that Magnus Norman has reached.
Norman is a former player and the current coach of Stan Wawrinka.
He believes there will be a new Grand Slam champion in 2023.
Roger has retired, and Rafael Nadal is dealing with injuries.
Novak Djokovic is always tough, but he was surprisingly ousted in Monte Carlo by 21-year-old Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
UNBELIEVABLE SCENES 🔥🔥
Musetti with the biggest win of his career over Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo!#RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/5vePJsVwOA
— Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (@ROLEXMCMASTERS) April 13, 2023
“You have a whole new generation knocking on the door, lead by Alcaraz who already won a Slam. Zverev is coming back, Tsitsipas, Kyrgios, Felix (Aliassime) is playing really well, Sinner of course. I do expect a new Grand Slam champion in 2023.”
Norman is not wrong, and Italian Jannik Sinner is definitely a name to watch in the group he mentions because he has consistently played great tennis in 2023.
Super Sinner 🦸♂️@janniksin has made the semi-finals at all 3 Masters 1000s in 2023!#RolexMonteCarloeMasters pic.twitter.com/1PpeT1Qc43
— Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (@ROLEXMCMASTERS) April 14, 2023
The fact is that Nadal and Djokovic have not played a lot of tennis in 2023, and the younger generation has been grinding it out at all of the tournaments.
This could lead to a surprise at Roland Garros in May especially if 14-time champion Rafael Nadal continues to delay his return to competitive tennis because the hip injury is lingering.
In the meantime, watch Fritz, Rublev, Rune, and Sinner in the Monte Carlo semifinals on Saturday, April 15, and the final will follow on Sunday, April 16.
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