By Tony Fairbairn
- Carlos Alcaraz [2] v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
- Alex De Minaur [8] v Lorenzo Musetti [13]
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – Carlos Alcaraz aims to continue channelling his champion’s spirit when he takes on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Monte-Carlo semi-finals.
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Carlos Alcaraz [2] v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | H2H: Alcaraz leads 1-0
Carlos Alcaraz is finding his form on clay as he is into his first Monte-Carlo semi-final. After another slow start against talented Frenchman Arthur Fils, the Spaniard will hope he can keep improving as this clay court season continues with exciting goals awaiting Alcaraz on the road to Roland Garros. Standing in Alcaraz’s way in the semi-finals is compatriot and former finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after the Spaniard defeated Alexei Popyrin to book his place in the final four.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Carlos Alcaraz [2] v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | H2H: Alcaraz leads 1-0 |
| ATP Monte-Carlo 2025 | Monte-Carlo, Monaco |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €282,650 |
| Second on Court Rainier III (Not before 12:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
After not winning a title in America, Alcaraz has been playing with a point to prove in Monaco as he is into a first Monte-Carlo semi-final.
The Spaniard has channelled his inner champion and is aiming to maintain that confidence and energy as he is well and truly on the road to Roland Garros.
Standing in Alcaraz’s way is former finalist Davidovich Fokina who has produced consistently sensational tennis to reach the final four.
Now the Spaniard aims to continue another memorable run by knocking out one of the best players in the world at a crucial stage in the tournament.
Speaking after his win over Fils, Alcaraz spoke about finding his level when it mattered most and spoke about his past experiences that have helped him achieve tennis history so far.
“I think that real champions find the right level when it’s needed,” Alcaraz told the ATP website.
“Obviously I would love to play a high level and my best tennis from the beginning until the last ball, but I think in tennis we play for two hours and a half, so it is the most difficult thing to do, to maintain your best tennis. When it’s needed, it’s great to find the good tennis. But sometimes I’m playing against an opponent who is playing better and you have to accept it and run and fight.
“I am still super young and I am going to live new experiences and learn about [them], but I feel like I know how to deal with situations that probably other players don’t. It is my second time [playing] here and to be able to play a semi-final for the first time makes me grow up as a player, as a person.
“Every match is new, it is different and [I] have to learn from the matches that I’m playing here.”
Meanwhile Davidovich Fokina stated that he is a more mature person and is starting to show it in his tennis.
“I’ve improved as a person, my maturity,” Davidovich Fokina explained to the ATP website.
“When you can control [things] off the court, it’s going to be easier to control your emotions [on the court]. Today it has proved [the progress] I am making this year.”
Alcaraz will use the forehand to pin Davidovich Fokina behind the baseline as he needs to start better than his previous matches.
Meanwhile Davidovich Fokina will need to be aggressive on return and use the backhand to create insane angles on the court in order to keep Alcaraz moving.
This will be a tough test of Alcaraz’s clay court ability but the Spaniard should have too much variety and quality for Davidovich Fokina in a close contest.
Prediction: Alcaraz in three sets.
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Alex De Minaur [8] v Lorenzo Musetti [13] | H2H: Tied at 1-1
A historic day for Alex De Minaur as the Australian didn’t lose one game in his 44 minute victory over Grigor Dimitrov. The eighth seed has completely dominated all opposition this week in Monaco and now aims for a huge breakthrough on clay and at Masters 1000 level. Next up for De Minaur is Lorenzo Musetti who overcame a tough start to the tournament and has now defeated Matteo Berrettini and Stefanos Tsitsipas back-to-back to reach the final four.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Alex De Minaur [8] v Lorenzo Musetti [13] | H2H: Tied at 1-1 |
| ATP Monte-Carlo 2025 | Monte-Carlo, Monaco |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €282,650 |
| Third on Court Rainier III (13:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
An incredible week for De Minaur so far who is yet to drop a set en route to his first Masters 1000 semi-final on clay.
Now the Australian targets a second Masters 1000 final and achieve a new landmark achievement in his career.
The next task for De Minaur is Musetti who knocked out three-time champion Tsitsipas to reach the last four in Monte-Carlo.
Now the Italian is into his first ever Masters 1000 semi-final and doesn’t want to stop there as he has big ambitions to fulfil.
After his quarter-final win, De Minaur spoke about his evolution and improvements on the surface.
“With the troubles I had on this surface at the start of my career, I didn’t quite understand it and how to play well on it,” De Minaur said to the ATP website about his previous troubles on clay.
“As the years have gone by, I have grown to understand the things I can do well to become a tough opponent on this surface. I’m very happy that I am playing better and better every year.
“It’s not about hitting hard, powerful shots [on clay]. It’s about opening up the court, using angles, height, and different speeds. Understanding the balance between being too aggressive and too passive.”
An emotional Musetti was also in a reflective mood as he looks forward to a first semi-final at this level.
“It’s really beautiful to cry together and win together. It’s really nice,” Musetti explained to the ATP website.
“Today was a really tough match. I knew that before today I never beat him and we played five times. Especially on clay, I knew against a three-time champion, definitely not an easy job today.
“I found a way and I was increasing during the whole match. Really, really happy and proud of this win.”
De Minaur will aim to create angles on the forehand side while being aggressive on serve, attacking the net when possible.
Meanwhile Musetti will use the backhand to rush De Minaur’s play, using variety to catch the Australian off guard.
This will be a big opportunity for both players with Musetti’s clay court awareness and power being enough to seal a place in his first Masters 1000 final.
Prediction: Musetti in three sets.
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