Monte-Carlo defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on top American Taylor Fritz on quarterfinal day. Andrey Rublev will also be in action against surprise quarterfinalist Jan-Lennard Struff.
(2) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (8) Taylor Fritz
The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters magic seems to be working once again for defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek has been in miserable form since he reached the final of the Australian Open. He sustained a shoulder injury, which he attributes to the use of Dunlop tennis balls in Melbourne back in January. Prior to his round of 16 run in Miami, Tsitsipas stated, “I think the biggest issue this year was the change in balls and that was an issue that has been discussed among the players.” Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev were also vocal about the “fluffy” balls.
Tsitsipas appears to be healthy once again. The world No. 3 breezed through his opening two matches over Benjamin Bonzi (who retired with a wrist injury down 4-1 in the first set) and Nicolas Jarry. He is also at home on European clay and has shown no signs of the shoulder injury giving him difficulty.
All of that is not particularly good news for Taylor Fritz. The American has flitted around the top 10 all year, peaking at No. 5 in the world at the end of February (he is currently 10th). He has had a good week so far. Fritz is not at his most comfortable on clay, but he had an impressive straight-set win over Stan Wawrinka in the second round and came through after a slow start against Jiri Lehecka on Thursday.
On a hard court this might be a tough call, but on clay the edge must go to Tsitsipas.
Cheryl pick: Tsitispas in 3
Ricky pick: Tsitsipas in 3
(5) Andrey Rublev vs. (Q) Jan-Lennard Struff
Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff is one of the big surprises of the Monte-Carlo Masters so far. The world No. 100 was forced to qualify for the event, after which he dispatched Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Alex de Minaur (14), and Casper Ruud (4) en route to the quarters. There is little doubt that Struff is playing well–but whether he is playing well enough to upset an in-form Andrey Rublev remains to be seen.
Rublev is only just now finding his form after a tough start to the 2023 season. He had a good quarterfinal showing at the Australian Open, but he has struggled a bit this spring. Rublev took out Jaume Munar and countryman Karen Khachanov to earn his spot in the quarterfinals.
The Russian’s game adapts well to each surface he plays on, and he is comfortable on clay courts. He is also relatively well-rested, having played just two matches this week–while Struff has already battled through five.
Cheryl pick: Rublev in 2
Ricky pick: Rublev in 2