Guido Pella is playing the best tennis of his life. The 28-year-old, who became a first-time ATP Tour champion at Sao Paulo in March, is into the quarter-finals of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the first time.

But the lefty knows that his next test at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters will arguably be one of the toughest he has ever faced, as he gets set to play 11-time champion Rafael Nadal.

“He’s one of the legends of tennis,” Pella told ATP Tennis Radio. “He’s a very special player and to play against him in any tournament is a very special feeling. But I think here in Monte-Carlo, centre court is going to be an amazing atmosphere. Of course the crowd is going to be behind him because he’s the favourite.”

It won’t be the first time Pella has stood across the court from the second seed, having done so at Indian Wells two years ago and Roland Garros last season. In order, Nadal has won their five FedEx ATP Head2Head sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1. The Spaniard has won 23 consecutive sets on Court Rainier III in Monaco, without any of those sets getting extended past 6-4.

“I need to do the perfect match to have a chance,” Pella said. “I hope to keep playing like this because I am feeling very good, I am feeling very confident in my game. If I play like this, maybe I will have a chance.”

Listen To ATP Tennis Radio’s Interview With Pella:

Pella suffered what could have been a major mental setback in February. After losing his first three ATP Tour, finals, the Argentine led Juan Ignacio Londero by a set and a break in the Cordoba championship, closing in on a breakthrough.

But Pella could not hold on, finishing runner-up once more. In March, Pella bounced back by triumphing in Sao Paulo.

“It was karma for sure. I lost four finals and in those finals I didn’t play bad, but the fourth final in Cordoba was the worst final for me because I was playing really good. In that match, I couldn’t close it. I was a set up, break up, and well, that’s tennis. These things happen,” Pella said. “In Sao Paulo I did a very good job, a very good tournament overall and I deserved the win. After that I think a new career for me was born. So I’m really enjoying the moment.”

It’s been a magical ride over the past year or so for Pella. Marin Cilic won the first two sets of their match at Wimbledon 6-3, 6-1, before rain suspended play during the third set. The next day, Pella found his best level to oust the Croat, and he hasn’t looked back since. Pella also beat Cilic this week in Monte-Carlo.

“Last year I was playing really good but maybe I didn’t get the results that I wanted. But I think for the past year, year and a half, I’ve been playing really good,” Pella said. “This year is the best with the results, to win a tournament in Sao Paulo, another final in Cordoba, I’m very happy to be here in the quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo. Playing like this, it’s not easy, so I’m very happy.”

Pella is projected to crack the Top 30 of the ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday. But he’s not worrying about that at the moment. He’s fully focused on Nadal.

“I want more. I don’t know where I can go. But I keep playing, I keep winning matches, so let’s see,” Pella said. “For now I’m really happy, I’m really enjoying the Tour right now because I’m winning, so it’s a lot easier that way. But I just want to focus because I have a very tough match and I will try to do the best job that I can.”

Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo were the only seeded team to advance on Thursday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, as two other veteran pairs fell in straight sets. Melo and Kubot, the second seeds, beat Austrian wild cards Jurgen Melzer and Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4 in 66 minutes.

The Polish-Brazilian duo arrived in Monaco having won just one of three previous matches at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament. But Kubot and Melo are through to the quarter-finals without dropping a set.

They have found great rhythm in the past month, making the final of the BNP Paribas Open and the semi-finals of the Miami Open presented by Itau. Kubot and Melo began the week in sixth place in the ATP Doubles Race To London, and they can climb as high as third if they lift the trophy.

Against Melzer and Thiem, Kubot and Melo did well to consistently earn chances in return games, converting on three of 11 break chances in the match. The highest-seeded pair remaining also won an impressive 79 per cent of second-serve points (11/14).

While Kubot and Melo faced little difficulty, fourth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah and sixth seeds Henri Kontinen/John Peers were upset.

Brazilian Marcelo Demoliner and Russian Daniil Medvedev (also a singles quarter-finalist) ousted 2018 Nitto ATP Finals qualifiers Cabal and Farah 6-2, 6-4. Entering the tournament, Demoliner had lost four consecutive matches at all levels with three different partners. This is the second time he has partnered Medvedev (2018 Brisbane, l. first round).

Argentine Diego Schwartzman and Portuguese Joao Sousa beat Kontinen and Peers 6-4, 6-3. This is the first time they have competed together. Before this event, the pair combined for a 110-172 tour-level doubles record, with neither player winning a title. Sousa reached the Rome final last year with Pablo Carreno Busta.

In other action, Moldovan Radu Albot and Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili defeated Hungarian Marton Fucsovics and Argentine Guido Pella 6-1, 6-7(7), 10-6. Albot and Basilashvili won 50 per cent (4/8) of their return points in the Match Tie-break to triumph.

Top seed Novak Djokovic and second seed Rafael Nadal are among the top names in action at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Friday, when all singles and doubles quarter-finals will be played.

Djokovic continues his quest for a third Monte-Carlo title against tenth seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia. The Serbian leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 3-0, but this will be their first match on clay. Djokovic shook off the clay rust in his opening-round clash with Philipp Kohlschreiber and rounded into form with a dominant victory over American Taylor Fritz on Thursday.

Who will win the fourth @FedEx ATP Head2Head battle between these players?#RolexMCMasters

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) April 18, 2019

Medvedev has also been highly impressive. The World No. 14 dropped five games in his first two rounds and then took out sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece for his berth in the last eight. The Russian is the first player this season to pick up 20 match wins, but is looking for his first Top 5 win in two years.

Nadal seeks to move closer to a 12th title at this event when he faces Guido Pella. The Spaniard leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-0. Pella has been a force on clay this season, winning his first ATP Tour title at the Brasil Open (d. Jarry) and scoring a Top 15 victory this week over Marin Cilic en route to the quarter-finals. Nadal, as usual, has been dominant from the first ball in Monte-Carlo. He’s dropped seven games in his first two matches and is on a 17-match winning streak on Court Rainier III.

Dusan Lajovic of Serbia and Italian qualifier Lorenzo Sonego open up play on Friday. Lajovic scored his first Top 5 win against Dominic Thiem to move into the last eight, while World No. 96 Sonego has won all of his main draw matches without dropping a set. The Serbian seeks his first Masters 1000 semi-final, while Sonego aims for his first ATP Tour semi-final.

The final match of the day will see ninth seed Borna Coric of Croatia take on 13th seed Fabio Fognini of Italy. Fognini won their lone FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting five years ago on the red clay of Umag. The Italian has turned his season around after arriving in Monte-Carlo having lost seven of his past eight matches, upsetting third seed Alexander Zverev to reach his fifth ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. Coric has spent more than eight hours on court to move into his first Monte-Carlo quarter-final and continues to increase his level with each match.

Second seeds Lukasz Kubot / Marcelo Melo and third seeds Jamie Murray / Bruno Soares are among the top doubles teams who will take to Court des Princes. 

ORDER OF PLAY – FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2019

COURT RAINIER III start 11:00 am
Dusan Lajovic (SRB) vs [Q] Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 
[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [10] Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 
Guido Pella (ARG) vs [2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) 
[9] Borna Coric (CRO) vs [13] Fabio Fognini (ITA)

COURT DES PRINCES start 11:00 am
[3] Jamie Murray (GBR) / Bruno Soares (BRA) vs Diego Schwartzman (ARG) / Joao Sousa (POR) 
Robin Haase (NED) / Wesley Koolhof (NED) vs Radu Albot (MDA) / Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) 
[7] Nikola Mektic (CRO) / Franko Skugor (CRO) vs [2] Lukasz Kubot (POL) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) 
After Suitable Rest – Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) / Horacio Zeballos (ARG) vs Marcelo Demoliner (BRA) / Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 

Fabio Fognini failed to take a set off Alexander Zverev in their first two FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings. But the Italian broke through in style against the 21-year-old on Thursday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

In front of an energised crowd on Court Rainier III, Fognini secured 75 per cent of first-serve points (30/40) to defeat Zverev 7-6(6), 6-1 in 90 minutes. Fognini has now reached five ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finals, which include his run to the semi-finals at the Monte-Carlo Country Club in 2013 (l. to Djokovic).

Fognini entered the tournament with seven losses in his past eight tour-level matches and trailed Andrey Rublev 4-6, 1-4 in his first-round match. But after his first win over a Top 3 opponent since his victory over then-World No. 1 Andy Murray at the 2017 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Fognini is one win away from a return to the last four in the Principality.

The World No. 18 will meet ninth seed Borna Coric in the quarter-finals. Fognini defeated Coric in their only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head clash at the 2014 Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag.

The Croatian advanced to his second straight Masters 1000 quarter-final after one hour and 41 minutes, saving all three break points he faced to beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France 6-4, 6-2. Coric also reached the last eight at the Miami Open presented by Itau last month, beating Nick Kyrgios in three sets before a straight-sets loss to #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Did You Know?
With qualifier Lorenzo Sonego also advancing to the last eight, two Italians are into the Monte-Carlo quarter-finals for the first time since 1978, when Corrado Barazzutti and Adriano Panatta accomplished the feat.

Dusan Lajovic reached his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final on Thursday, upsetting fourth seed Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-3 at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The 28-year-old saved seven of nine break points and broke last year’s Roland Garros runner-up on five occasions to advance after one hour and 32 minutes. Lajovic entered the match winless in five FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Thiem, but reached his second quarter-final in the past three Masters 1000 events on clay.

“I’m very happy today. I didn’t expect this, especially not in two sets against a player like Dominic,” Lajovic said. “This was for sure my best match in my life, I think. I produced some great tennis from the beginning until the end of the match and I’m very happy to be in the quarter-finals in Monaco.”

Thiem, the recent BNP Paribas Open champion, figured to be a strong threat in the Principality. But Lajovic took full advantage of Thiem’s deep court-positioning, playing aggressive tennis and winning some of the best rallies of the tournament thus far. Lajovic did well to consistently battle into the Austrian’s service games, winning 53 per cent of his return points in the two-setter. The Serbian was also impressive in his second-round victory against 16th seed David Goffin.

“It was very windy today and it was not easy to hit the ball cleanly. I had more success there and I was moving the ball through the court very well,” Lajovic said. “I was able to dominate with my forehand today and this was the key in the match.”

At last year’s Mutua Madrid Open, Lajovic notched five victories from qualifying to reach the last eight. Lajovic edged Juan Martin del Potro in Madrid en route to the quarter-finals before suffering a three-set loss to Kevin Anderson.

Thiem was bidding to post his 10th tour-level win of the season (9-6) and reach his second straight quarter-final at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Thiem had reached the quarter-finals or better at five of the past seven Masters 1000 events on clay, dating back to his appearance in the last eight at the 2016 Internazionali BNL d’Italia (l. to Nishikori).

Lajovic will meet Lorenzo Sonego of Italy for a place in the semi-finals. The 23-year-old qualifier advanced to his maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final after 84 minutes, dropping only four points behind his first serve (28/32) to overcome Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-5. Sonego is yet to drop a set in the main draw, defeating Cameron Norrie in the third round for his best result at a Masters 1000 tournament.

“I know that [from what] I’ve seen, it’s very good and he’s going to be a very good player. He’s already a very good player,” Lajovic said. “He’s young, he’s playing one of the best tournaments of his career so it’s not going to be easy. I’ll need to keep my focus, to go on the court and hopefully play like today.”

For the third time at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Rafael Nadal had all the answers to Grigor Dimitrov’s questions.

The 11-time champion, who overcame Dimitrov at this event in 2013 and 2018, broke serve on four occasions to defeat the Bulgarian 6-4, 6-1 on Thursday and advance to his 15th quarter-final in the Principality. Nadal improves to 12-1 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Dimitrov, which includes an unbeaten 5-0 record on clay.

“I felt good. I think that the first set was a high-quality set of tennis,” Nadal said. “The second set [there] were a little bit more mistakes and the wind was even [greater] later in the match. The wind is for both of us, and of course always have an impact. That’s what happen when you play outdoors. These things are part of the game and just try to be ready for it… You have to adapt. You have to find solutions.”

The Spaniard has now registered 70 wins at the Monte-Carlo Country Club (70-4). The only tournament Nadal has achieved more victories at is Roland Garros, where the 11-time winner has amassed an 86-2 record.

Attempting to win his fourth straight title in the Principality, the Manacor native has won 17 consecutive matches in the Principality. Nadal’s most recent loss at this event came to Novak Djokovic in the 2015 semi-finals.

“I am happy the way that I am playing. The first two rounds I played more than well enough to win. I had two confident scores against two good players,” Nadal said. “First matches after an injury, that’s always a tough thing to come back. At the same time, [we’re on a] different surface, on clay after almost a year. So that’s a good start for me on the clay court season.”

The 80-time tour-level titlist has won each of his past 15 third-round matches at the third ATP Masters 1000 event of the year. The only man to ever beat Nadal in the third round at this event was Guillermo Coria, who defeated the tournament debutant in straight sets in 2003.

After saving two break points in his opening service game, Nadal found success attacking Dimitrov’s backhand with depth and heavy topspin to move into a 3-1 lead. But Dimitrov kept his composure, holding to love in his following service game before finding a way back into the set as Nadal committed back-to-back unforced errors.

Nadal soon shifted his focus back towards Dimitrov’s backhand corner, extracting errors to claim the first set. From there, the Spaniard applied constant pressure on Dimitrov’s serve. After opening up a 4-1 lead, the Spaniard ripped a forehand winner up the line and drilled a backhand onto the baseline to move one game from the quarter-finals. Nadal converted his second match point after one hour and 34 minutes, forcing Dimitrov into a forehand error.

Nadal will face Argentine Guido Pella in the quarter-finals. Pella defeated Marco Cecchinato, for the first time in three FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to reach his first Masters 1000 quarter-final.

With his 16th win of the season (16-7), the Sao Paulo champion takes sole ownership of fourth place on the list of players with the most tour-level victories this year. Only Daniil Medvedev (20), Roger Federer (18) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (18) have claimed more match wins this year.

Italian Lorenzo Sonego dropped a set in his first round of qualifying at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters five days ago. After three impressive wins in the main draw, the World No. 96 is into his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. ATPTour.com takes a closer look at the Italian…

1. Lorenzo A Late Starter
Sonego did not start playing tennis until he was 11 years old, training with coach Gipo Arbino. The Italian earned his first ATP Ranking point when he was 19, and captured his maiden ATP Tour win at last year’s Australian Open, where he was a 22-year-old qualifier.

2. Idols Becoming Rivals
Sonego grew up idolising Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Just last week, the Italian reached his second ATP Tour final in Marrakech and played Tsonga, ultimately losing in straight sets. He enjoyed the experience, though, posting about it on Instagram after the match.

“A wonderful experience even if the last game didn’t go as I had hoped! Now ready for Monte-Carlo and for new experiences!”

Photo Credit: Hakim Wiseman Joundy

3. If Not For Tennis…
Sonego would be a football player. The Turin native’s favourite team is, fittingly, Torino F.C. He visited Camp Nou, the home of F.C. Barcelona, last November.

The World No. 96 also enjoys basketball, posting several videos of himself shooting or dunking a basketball on his Instagram page.

4. Recent Breakthrough
The Italian just recently cracked the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, doing so after last year’s US Open. In Flushing Meadows, Sonego qualified and then defeated Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller in four hours and 16 minutes to reach the second round of the main draw. That was the final match of Muller’s career.

Sonego will break into the Top 70 for the first time on Monday thanks to his performance in the Principality. If the two-time ATP Challenger Tour titlist advances to the semi-finals, he will likely crack the Top 50.

5. Khachanov Revenge
Sonego lost to rising Russian Karen Khachanov in the second round of last year’s US Open. But the 23-year-old got his revenge against the World No. 12 in Monte-Carlo, defeating Khachanov in the second round.

On his favourite surface, clay, Sonego won 42 per cent of first-serve return points against the eighth seed, saving seven of the eight break points he faced. In their US Open match, Khachanov lost just five first-serve points in three sets.

Did You Know?
Sonego enjoys taking holidays to Sardinia, an island off the coast of Italy. This may not be a surprise, but the Italian’s favourite food is lasagna.

Novak Djokovic advanced to his ninth Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-final on Thursday, beating American Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-0.

The World No. 1, who claimed his 850th tour-level victory on Tuesday, converted six of 10 break points en route to a 68-minute win. Djokovic now owns 15 victories from 18 tour-level encounters this season.

The 31-year-old moves to within three wins of matching Rafael Nadal’s record haul of 33 ATP Masters 1000 trophies. Djokovic is bidding to capture his third crown at the Monte-Carlo Country Club after title runs in 2013 (d. Nadal) and 2015 (d. Berdych).

Djokovic will meet 10th seed Daniil Medvedev for a semi-final spot. Medvedev defeated #NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 to reach his first Masters 1000 quarter-final. Djokovic owns a 3-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Medvedev, which includes a four-set victory against the Russian at the Australian Open in January. Medvedev was one of just two players at that tournament (also Shapovalov) who took a set from the Serbian.

With both Djokovic and Fritz battling windy conditions on Court Rainier III, the top seed claimed three consecutive service breaks to take the opening set after 39 minutes. The World No. 1 attacked Fritz’s backhand to jump into a 5-2 lead and, despite failing to serve out the set in the following game, wrapped up the opener after 39 minutes with varied depth on his returns.

Djokovic hit with depth and height on his forehand to push Fritz behind the baseline early in the second set, earning a 2-0 lead following a Fritz double fault. The Serbian opened the court with his forehand to move Fritz off the court for a double-break lead and converted his first match point after Fritz fired a backhand beyond the baseline.

Fritz was aiming to become the first American to reach the quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo since Sam Querrey in 2008. Querrey defeated Carlos Moya, Andreas Seppi and Richard Gasquet to reach the last eight 11 years ago, before falling to Djokovic in straight sets.

Daniil Medvedev may have captured four ATP Tour titles since the start of last year, but the Russian made a significant breakthrough at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Thursday.

The 23-year-old defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 to advance to his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final after one hour and 45 minutes. Medvedev extends his unbeaten FedEx ATP Head2Head record against the #NextGenATP Greek to four matches, following three wins in hard-court encounters last year.

“It’s a great achievement,” Medvedev said. “I had only two wins on clay on the ATP Tour before this tournament. Now I have three [this week]… everything is perfect.”

The 6’6″ right-hander earned 80 per cent of points behind his first serve (20/25) to secure his second Top 10 victory (2-11). Medvedev claimed his first win over Top 10 opposition at 2017 Wimbledon, defeating Stan Wawrinka in four sets.

The Sofia Open winner becomes the first player to reach 20 tour-level victories this season (20-6). Medvedev has now reached the quarter-finals or better at four of his eight tournament appearances this year.

“In the third set I just went out there and thought, ‘Okay I need to put every ball I can in the court’,” Medvedev said. “Even being a break down, I finally managed to do it.”

Tsitsipas was bidding to reach his second career ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. The sixth seed claimed four consecutive Top 10 victories to advance to the Rogers Cup final last year (l. to Nadal).

Medvedev will meet World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. The 10th seed pushed Djokovic to four sets in their third FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting (0-3) at the Australian Open in January. Medvedev was one of just two players (also Shapovalov) who took a set from Djokovic at that tournament.