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Match details
Fixture: (6) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dan Evans
Date: 17 April 2021
Tournament: Rolex Monte Carlo Masters 2021
Round: Semifinals
Venue: Monte Carlo, Monaco
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize money: €2,082,960
Match timing: Not before 1:30 pm local time, 5 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dan Evans preview
This week in Monte Carlo, Stefanos Tsitsipas is looking to reach his first Masters 1000 final since 2019. But he might face some resistance from the in-form Dan Evans in the semifinals on Saturday.
Tsitsipas beat dangerous opponents Aslan Karatsev and Cristian Garin in the early rounds to make his first ever quarterfinal appearance in the Principality. And in his last-eight match on Friday, Tsitsipas aced a tricky opening set against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina before the Spaniard was forced to retire due to a thigh injury.
Tsitsipas, who reached the last four at last year's Roland Garros, has never lost a Masters quarterfinal on clay. That shows how dangerous a customer he is in the latter rounds of big tournaments.
Dan Evans, meanwhile, beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets a couple of days ago - his first ever win over a World No. 1 player. Then in his quarterfinal match against 11th seed David Goffin, Evans came back from a set down to register another big victory.
The Brit is having a career-best season in 2021, having won his maiden ATP title at the Murray River Open in February.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dan Evans head-to-head
Stefanos Tsitsipas leads Dan Evans by a margin of 2-0 in the head-to-head. Both of Tsitsipas' wins have came at 500-level events in 2020 (2020 Dubai Open and 2020 Hamburg Open).
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dan Evans prediction
Stefanos Tsitsipas is never afraid to grab the initiative in the rallies, especially when his big forehand prompts a short reply from the opponent. And while he sometimes suffers with his backhand swing on the return, the Greek has shown a lot of improvement on that shot this year.
Tsitsipas has played with more belief on his backhand this week, striking deep drives down the line with conviction. The strategy has worked for the 22-year-old so far, as he has thoroughly dominated all of his opponents.
Dan Evans, on the other hand, doesn't have as much firepower, but more than makes up for that with his on-court tactics. The Brit constantly moves his opponents around with intelligent shot placement. But the USP of Evans' game is his devious backhand slice, which he executes with great accuracy and depth.
Tsitsipas' mental strength will be put to the test in his last four encounter against Evans. The Greek has shown a tendency to choke in big matches lately; he wasted a set and a break lead against Hubert Hurkacz at Miami, and would be keen to avoid something like that in the Principality.
If Tsitsipas can manage to control his nerves in the crunch moments, he will likely reach the second claycourt Masters 1000 final of his career on Saturday.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.
