Arthur Fils destroyed his tennis racket during a sensational Carlos Alcaraz comeback victory in the Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-finals.
Despite losing the first set, Alcaraz reached the last four of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the first time with a 4-6 7-5 6-3 win.
The match lasted a little under two-and-a-half hours, and frustration from Fils was visible during the latter stages.
Alcaraz was 1-3 down in the third and final set but soon took control by winning crucial points whilst his opponent struggled.
Fils lashed out with his racket and bent it about 90 degrees to make it completely unusable.
The Frenchman binned it before finding a replacement and returned to the court only to fall to defeat just minutes later.
He was given a code violation warning for racket abuse, and it came just weeks after a similar incident at the Miami Open.
Fils beat Francis Tiafoe in their third round clash but lost the second set and smashed his racket on the court when back at his bench.
The umpire gave him a code violation, with Tiafoe also taking out his anger on a racket by obliterating it and drawing jeers from fans.
Back in Monte-Carlo, Fils hit the deciding shot into the net to confirm Alcaraz’s victory and comeback.
He has confirmed a place in the tenth ATP Masters 1000 semi-final of his career, and the second in 2025 after Indian Wells.
Alcaraz faces fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who beat Jack Draper in the third round, on Saturday.
Speaking on the win against Fils via the ATP, the 21-year-old said: “I just wanted to stay strong and wait for my chances. I think his level is high right now and he puts a lot of pressure on his opponents.
“Today I could feel it but in some moments he just made a few mistakes and I tried to make the most of those points and wait for my chances.
“The second set I saved those break points and then made the only break point I had that set. In the third set I was just trying to play good tennis.
“When I was a break down I just tried to keep going and play aggressively and be strong mentally and physically.”
Awaiting Alcaraz in the final should he get that far will be one of Alex de Minaur, or the winner of Lorenzo Musetti versus Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Victory in Monte-Carlo would come as his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title and offer him a huge boost ahead of next month’s French Open.
