Carlos Alcaraz keeps it real with honest admission after surviving Arthur Fils scare at Monte-Carlo Masters

Carlos Alcaraz made an honest admission about his performance after defeating Arthur Fils at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters. This marked the first time that Alcaraz and Fils had faced each other on the ATP Tour.

Alcaraz is seeded second at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monaco and he began his campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. He overcame Francisco Cerundolo 3-6, 6-0, 6-1, and then defeated qualifier Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-1 in the second and third rounds, respectively.

In the quarterfinals, the four-time Grand Slam champion faced 12th seed Arthur Fils and lost the first set 4-6. Alcaraz then staged a comeback, ultimately clinching the match 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 23 minutes to secure his place in the semifinals, his 10th time reaching the final four stage at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

Following his win over Fils, during he post match on-court interview, Carlos Alcaraz reflected on his performance. He acknowledged that he made a "few mistakes" but then capitalized on the opportunities presented by the errors made by the Frenchman.

"I was just wanted to stay strong… Waited for my chances. I felt in the first set he played well. Probably a few mistakes from my side. His level is pretty high right now. He puts a lot of pressure on his opponents. I could feel it. I think in some moments he made a few mistakes and I tried to make the most of it," Carlos Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz said that he waited for his chances during the match and tried to take them as and when they came. He mentioned that he tried to play "aggressively" and performed strongly both mentally and physically in order to secure the win.

"Just tried to wait for my chances and tried to take it. In the 2nd set I saved break points at 5-5. In the third set I tried to stay there, playing good tennis. When I was a break down I tried to keep going… playing aggressively. Be strong mentally, physically, and waiting for my chances," he added.

Carlos Alcaraz's last competed at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2022, where he was eliminated in the second round by Sebastian Korda.

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Who will Carlos Alcaraz face at Monte-Carlo Masters 2025 SF?

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters [Image Source: Getty Images]

After defeating Arthur Fils in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters, Carlos Alcaraz will go head-to-head with compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the semifinals of the tournament.

Davidovich Fokina kicked off his run at the ATP Masters 1000 clay court tournament in Monaco by defeating the 11th seed Ben Shelton 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-1 in the first round. He then continued his winning streak by overcoming Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(2), 6-3, and fifth seed Jack Draper 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-4 in the second and third rounds, respectively.

In the quarterfinals, the Spaniard secured a dominant victory over Alexei Popyrin in straight sets, with a score of 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals where he will go up against Alcaraz.

Carlos Alcaraz and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina have previously met once on the ATP Tour, in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Barcelona Open, where the former World No.1 emerged victorious with a score of 7-6(5), 6-4. Alcaraz then went on to defend his title at the ATP 500 clay court tournament by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

The winner of the semifinals match between these two Spaniards will advance to face either sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, eighth seed Alex de Minaur, or 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the championship match of the tournament.