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Wawrinka Begins Quest For Second Monte-Carlo Title

  • Posted: Apr 13, 2016

Wawrinka Begins Quest For Second Monte-Carlo Title

Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic are also in action today at the Monte-Carlo Country Club

Former champion Stan Wawrinka opened his Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters campaign on Wednesday with a 7-6(2), 7-5 victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber.

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Watch Wawrinka Take A Cooking Class

Breaks were exchanged at the start of the match before Wawrinka ultimately took the first set in a tie-break. The Swiss squandered a 3-1 lead in the second set, but broke Kohlschreiber again in the 11th game before sealing victory in one hour and 37 minutes.

Wawrinka broke up the domination of the ‘Big Four’ at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments when he captured his first title at this level in Monte-Carlo two years ago, beating countryman Roger Federer in the final. Between them, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Federer and Rafael Nadal have won 50 of the past 54 Masters 1000 titles.

The 30-year-old Wawrinka set a clash with Gilles Simon as he claimed his 16th win of the season, highlighted by titles in Chennai (d. Coric) and Dubai (d. Baghdatis).

France’s Benoit Paire set a third-round clash with Andy Murray after defeating Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-3.

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Meldonium users may escape doping bans

  • Posted: Apr 13, 2016

Athletes caught using meldonium could avoid a ban after anti-doping chiefs said it was not clear how long it takes the drug to leave the body.

Wada announced in September that it was adding the heart disease medicine to its banned list from 1 January.

Since the start of the year, there have been more than 120 positive tests.

But numerous athletes have claimed they stopped taking the drug last year, prompting many to question how long the drug can stay in an athlete’s system.

“There is currently a lack of clear scientific information on excretion times,” the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) said in new guidance distributed on Monday.

“For this reason, a hearing panel might justifiably find (unless there is specific evidence to the contrary) that an athlete who has established on the balance of probabilities that he or she ingested meldonium before 1 January could not reasonably have known or suspected that the meldonium would still be present in his or her body on or after 1 January.

“In these circumstances, Wada considers that there may be grounds for no fault or negligence on the part of the athlete.”

This apparent climbdown has already been celebrated by media outlets in Russia, which has borne the brunt of the scandal so far.

Tennis player Maria Sharapova was the first high-profile athlete to test positive for the Latvian-made drug – in a test taken at the end of January – but since then leading Russian athletes from boxing, skating, swimming and winter sports have all failed tests for meldonium.

In a statement, issued via the official news agency Tass, the Russian Sports Ministry said it “supports and welcomes the decision made by Wada because it has showed a willingness to understand the situation, rather than stick to the rulebook.”

This follows recent comments from sports minister Vitaly Mutko that the meldonium crisis would soon be “settled”.

Last week, the International Biathlon Union said it would not be ruling on any cases until more was known about excretion rates for meldonium.

Wada’s new guidance acknowledges that trace elements of meldonium can remain in the body “for a few months” if somebody has been taking the drug for a sustained period.

Sharapova, for example, says she had been using it to treat a variety of health conditions, under medical advice, for a decade.

Leading sports lawyer Dr Gregory Ioannidis said: “It is evident that further research is required and I welcome Wada’s acknowledgement of that.”

South African anti-doping expert Professor Ross Tucker said Wada’s response “seems reactive”.

He added: “Perhaps many of the things they now find themselves on the defence for should probably have been done at the time they considered its banning.”

Dr Tom Bassindale, a forensic toxicologist and anti-doping scientist at Sheffield Hallam University, believes Wada may have been too hasty in banning meldonium.

“Wada did not have full information about how meldonium is processed by the body when imposing the ban,” he said.

“Originally, it was suggested meldonium would be cleared from the body in a week or two but, with the ever-increasing number of positives, I did become concerned this was not the case and it could be accumulating in the body, much like cannabis does in long-term users.”

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Murray into Monte Carlo doubles quarters

  • Posted: Apr 13, 2016

Andy Murray and Dominic Inglot are through to the quarter-finals of the doubles at the Monte Carlo Masters.

The British pair lost the first five games against Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic and France’s Edouard Roger-Vasselin but recovered to win 2-6 6-3 10-5.

British number two Aljaz Bedene was knocked out in the second round of the singles by Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

Bedene, 26, held serve only four times as he lost 6-3 6-3 to eight-time winner and world number five Nadal.

Second seed Murray, 28, continues his singles campaign on Thursday with a third-round match against France’s Benoit Paire.

Murray’s brother Jamie, 30, also reached the last eight of the doubles alongside Brazilian partner Bruno Soares.

The fourth seeds, who won the Australian Open in January, beat Canada’s Daniel Nester and Czech Radek Stepanek 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (11-9) 14-12.

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Djokovic, Wawrinka, Nadal Play In Monte Carlo On Wednesday

  • Posted: Apr 13, 2016

Djokovic, Wawrinka, Nadal Play In Monte Carlo On Wednesday

ATPWorldTour.com previews day four play at the Monte-Carlo Country Club

DAY 4 PREVIEW: The second round concludes on Wednesday as the remaining 11 singles matches take place on Day 4 of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Three former champions lead the schedule: top seed, two-time and defending champion Novak Djokovic, 2014 champ and No. 4 seed Stan Wawrinka, and eight-time champion and No. 5 seed Rafael Nadal. Both Djokovic and Wawrinka are playing their first clay-court singles matches of the season. Seeded players went a combined 13-0 on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Wawrinka, who beat Roger Federer for the 2014 title, is one of four men to have disrupted the Big Four’s dominance of the ATP Masters 1000 titles since Monte-Carlo 2010. Fifty of the last 54 ATP Masters 1000 titles have been won by Djokovic (23), Nadal (12), Federer (8) and Murray (7). The reigning Roland Garros champion joined Robin Soderling (Paris-Bercy 2010), David Ferrer (Paris-Bercy 2012) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Toronto 2014) by claiming his first ATP Masters 1000 title here two years ago. Wawrinka faces Philipp Kohlschreiber in the day’s opening match on Court Rainier III and comes into the match with a 3-0 head-to-head record, including a quarter-final win against the German en route to his second title of the season in Dubai (d. Baghdatis; also Chennai, d. Coric).

Nadal, who faces Great Britain’s Aljaz Bedene in the second match on Court Rainier III, is entering what is traditionally the most productive month of his career: He has won 15 of his 67 career titles in April, followed by May (12), June (11) and July (7). The Spaniard has a 53-4 career record in Monte-Carlo with a tournament-record eight straight titles from 2005 to 2012. His 46-match winning streak ended with a runner-up finish in 2013 (l. to Djokovic). Nadal comes in with a 12-6 match record on the season (4-2 on clay). He was a semi-finalist in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. This is the fifth time since 2005 that Nadal enters Monte-Carlo without a title on the season. Four times he captured his first title of the year in Monte-Carlo: 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Bedene has advanced beyond the second round of an ATP Masters 1000 event once before (2014 Miami 3R, l. to Becker), and is seeking his first win against a Top 10 player (0-6 career).

Djokovic, champion in 2013 (d. Nadal) and 2015 (d. Berdych), is chasing his fifth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title going back to Shanghai last season. This is the third time Djokovic has won four successive ATP Masters 1000 events (2013 Shanghai, Paris, 2014 Indian Wells, Miami and 2014 Paris, 2015 Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo). The Serb is playing here for the 10th time in 11 years (missed 2011) and he has reached the semi-finals or better in his past seven appearances. The 28-year-old is off to a 28-1 start this season, winning his 11th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and capturing the first two ATP Masters 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Miami for the third straight year. Since the beginning of last year, Djokovic has compiled a 110-7 match record, winning 15 titles in 19 finals (21 tournaments played). His second-round opponent, Czech left-hander Jiri Vesely, reached the Marrakech semi-finals last week (l. to Coric), but is 0-8 in his career against Top 10 opposition.

DAY 4 FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS – In Order of Play by Court

COURT RAINIER III

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) vs [4] Stan Wawrinka (SUI) Wawrinka Leads 3-0
08 Roland Garros (France) Clay R128 Stan Wawrinka 6-3 6-4 6-3
08 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Spain) Hard R32 Stan Wawrinka 3-6 7-5 7-6(5)
16 Dubai (U.A.E.) Hard QF Stan Wawrinka 7-5 6-1

Kohlschreiber 2016 FastFacts:

SF: Rotterdam (l Monfils); QF (2): Sofia (l Troicki), Dubai (l Wawrinka)
YTD W-L: 12-6 (1-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 6
Date of Birth: October 16, 1983
Emirates ATP Ranking: 28
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 16-9 (QF – 2007, ’10)

• The 32-year-old German is making his 10th tournament appearance (16-9 record). Reached QF twice, on debut as qualifier in 2007 (l. to champion Nadal) and 2010 (2R d. No. 4 Murray, l. to Ferrer)
• Opened Tuesday with a 64 64 win over Coric in 1R
• Beat Rosol and Berdych in Davis Cup 1R, but lost doubles w/Petzschner to Berdych/Stepanek (CZE d. GER 3-2)
• Win over No. 7 Berdych snapped 18-match losing streak against Top 10 opponents (22-75 overall)
• Advanced to Rotterdam SF (d. Cilic, l. to Monfils) and QFs at Sofia (l. to Troicki) and Dubai (l. to No. 4 Wawrinka)
• Fell to No. 7 Nishikori in Australian Open 1R and No. 1 Djokovic in both ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 3R

Wawrinka 2016 FastFacts
W (2): Chennai (d. Coric); Dubai (d. Baghdatis); QF: Marseille (l. to Paire)
YTD W-L: 15-4 (0-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 13
Date of Birth: March 28, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 4
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 17-7 (2014 Champion)

• The 31-year-old Swiss is making his ninth tournament appearance and won his first ATP Masters 1000 title here in 2014 (d. No. 4 Federer). Reached 3R last year (l. to Dimitrov)
• On a 9-match win streak in finals after beating Baghdatis to win ATP World Tour 500 event in Dubai
• Captured 3rd straight Chennai title (d. Coric), increasing win streaks at event to 12 matches and 24 sets
• Enjoyed 400th career win in Australian Open 3R (d. Rosol) before falling in 4R (l. to Raonic in 5 sets)
• Advanced to 2nd week of Australian Open for 4th straight season
• Appeared in 44 consecutive Grand Slam main draws since making major debut at 2005 Roland Garros
• Saved 2 MPs to beat Stakhovsky 64 46 76(8) in Marseille 2R and came within 2 points of losing to Stakhovsky in Dubai 1R before earning 57 63 75 win
• Reached 4R at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Goffin), then lost opening match at ATP Masters 1000 Miami (2R l. to Kuznetsov)

[5] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs Aljaz Bedene (GBR) First Meeting

Nadal 2016 FastFacts
F: Doha (l. to Djokovic); SF (3): Buenos Aires (l. to Thiem); Rio de Janeiro (l. to Cuevas); ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 12-6 (4-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 67
Date of Birth: June 3, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 5
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 53-4 (2005-12 Champion)

• The 29-year-old Spaniard is making his 13th appearance at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, where he has won a tournament-record eight titles (2005 d. Coria, 2006-08 d. Federer, 2009 d. Djokovic, 2010 d. Verdasco, 2011 d. Ferrer, 2012 d. Djokovic)
• Won 46 consecutive matches in Monte-Carlo before defeat in 2013 F (l. to Djokovic). Reached QF in 2014 (l. to No. 6 Ferrer) and SF last year (l. to No. 1/champion Djokovic)
• Reached 99th career final to start season in Doha (l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Lost to eventual champions in three consecutive SFs at Buenos Aires (l. to Thiem after holding 1 MP), Rio de Janeiro (l. to Cuevas) and ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Retired 1R at ATP Masters 1000 Miami with dizziness while trailing Dzumhur 26 64 30, first retirement since 2010 Australian Open QF vs Murray, a stretch of 442 matches (370-72)
• Suffered 2nd Grand Slam 1R loss of career at Australian Open vs. Verdasco in 4h41m, 5-set marathon

Bedene 2016 FastFacts:
SF: Chennai (l Coric)
YTD W-L: 6-7 (1-1 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: July 18, 1989
Emirates ATP Ranking: 60
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2R – 2016)

• The 26-year-old Briton made his tournament debut with a 62 63 win over Rosol in 1R
• Owns an 0-6 record against Top 10 opponents (0-0 in 2016)
• Owns a 4-6 record against left-handers (0-0 in 2016)
• Reached QF-or-better for 4th straight year at Chennai, falling in SF (l. to Coric)
• Owns 12-4 career record at Chennai and 33-53 record everywhere else
• Held 5 MPs vs. Querrey in Auckland 1R before retiring in 3rd set due to leg injury

[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs Jiri Vesely (CZE) First Meeting

Djokovic 2016 FastFacts
W (4): Doha (d. Nadal); Australian Open (d. Murray); ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (d. Raonic); ATP Masters 1000 Miami (d. Nishikori); QF: Dubai (l. to Lopez)
YTD W-L: 28-1 (0-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 4 / Career Titles: 63
Date of Birth: May 22, 1987
Emirates ATP Ranking: 1 (Career-High)
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 28-7 (2013, 2015 Champion)

• The 28-year-old Serbian is making his 10th appearance at the Monte-Carlo Country Club (28-7 record) and returns as defending champion; claimed titles in 2013 (d. No. 5 Nadal) and 2015 (d. No. 8 Berdych) and reached finals in 2010 and 2012 (l. both to Nadal)
• 2013 title win ended Nadal’s record 46-match winning streak at ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo
• Tied Emerson’s all-time record with 6th Australian Open title (d. No. 2 Murray)
• Moved into tie with Laver and Borg for 5th all-time with 11 Grand Slam men’s singles titles
• Won a 5-set match en route to title for 7th time at a major, overcoming 100 unforced errors in 4R (d. Simon)
• Captured 60th career title to start season at Doha, not dropping a set all week (d. No. 5 Nadal)
• Became 3rd active player to reach 700 wins by beating Jaziri in Dubai 2R on Feb. 24 (also Federer, Nadal)
• Became all-time ATP Masters 1000 title leader in March (28 titles) with victories at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (d. Raonic) and ATP Masters 1000 Miami (d. No. 6 Nishikori), overtaking Nadal (27 titles)
• Fell 1 shy of Lendl’s Open-Era record 18 straight finals when eye problem forced ret in Dubai QF (l. to Lopez)
• Had not retired since 2011 Davis Cup SF vs. del Potro, a stretch of 350 matches (318-32)
• Owns a 4-1 record against left-handers in 2016 (82-31 overall)
• Beat Nedovyesov in 3 sets, Kukushkin in 5 sets to help Serbia past Kazakhstan 3-2 in Davis Cup 1R

Vesely 2016 FastFacts:

SF: Marrakech (l Coric)
YTD W-L: 5-8 (4-1 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: July 10, 1993
Emirates ATP Ranking: 55
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 1-1 (2R – 2016)

• The 22-year-old Czech is making his second main draw appearance after 1R exit in 2015 (l. to Monaco). Opened Tuesday with 36 75 75 win over Gabashvili in 1R
• Owns an 0-8 record against Top 10 opponents (0-0 in 2016)
• Posted only 1 singles win in 1st 3 months of season, beating countryman Rosol in Rotterdam 1R before SF run at Marrakech in April (l. to Coric)
• As defending champion, lost to eventual champion Bautista Agut in Auckland 1R
• Fell to 0-3 lifetime at Australian Open with 5-set loss to Olivo in 1R

Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) vs [13] Gael Monfils (FRA) Monfils Leads 1-0

15 Vienna (Austria) Hard R16 Gael Monfils 6-4 6-4

Lorenzi 2016 FastFacts:
SF: Quito (l Bellucci); QF: Buenos Aires (l Nadal)
YTD W-L: 9-7 (9-5 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: December 15, 1981
Emirates ATP Ranking: 53
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2R – 2016)

• The 34-year-old Italian made his main draw debut with a 26 60 61 win over countryman Fognini; fell in Q1 on only other appearance in 2007
• Saved 3 MPs to beat Chiudinelli in Davis Cup 1R opening rubber after 4h, 43m (ITA d. SUI 5-0). Won longest tiebreak in history of Davis Cup World Group, taking 1st set against Chiudinelli 76(14)
• Advanced to 2nd ATP World Tour singles SF of career at Quito (d. Tomic, l. to Bellucci). Followed with QF run at Buenos Aires (d. Schwartzman, l. to No. 5 Nadal)
• Reached 3rd ATP doubles final at Buenos Aires w/Cervantes (l. to Cabal/Farah)
• Captured 17th ATP Challenger Tour singles title at Canberra, AUS (d. Dodig) and reached 31st final at Bucaramanga, COL (l. to G. Melzer)

Monfils 2016 FastFacts:
F: Rotterdam (l Klizan); QF (3): Australian Open (l Raonic), ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Raonic), ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l Nishikori)
YTD W-L: 16-5 (2-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: September 1, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 16
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 9-9 (SF-2015)

• The 29-year-old Paris native is making his 10th appearance in Monte Carlo a year after posting his career-best run to SF (l. to Berdych)
• Opened with 75 60 win over Muller in 1R
• Advanced to 1st Australian Open QF in 11th appearance (l. to Raonic)
• Reached back-to-back QFs at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Raonic) and ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Nishikori)
• Fell to 5-18 in ATP World Tour finals with loss to Klizan in Rotterdam championship match
• Won 8th straight Davis Cup match to open France’s 5-0 sweep of Canada in 1R (d. Dancevic)
• Withdrew from Marseille due to right leg injury

COURT DES PRINCES

[6] Tomas Berdych (CZE) vs [Q] Damir Dzumhur (BIH) Berdych Leads 2-0
14 Australian Open (Australia) Hard R32 Tomas Berdych 6-4 6-2 6-2
16 Doha (Qatar) Hard R16 Tomas Berdych 6-0 6-4

Berdych 2016 FastFacts
SF (2): Doha (l. to Djokovic); Marseille (l. to Kyrgios); QF (3): Australian Open (l. to Federer); Dubai (l. to Kyrgios); ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 16-7 (0-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 12
Date of Birth: September 17, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 7
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 18-11 (2015 Runner-up)

• The 30-year-old Czech, a Monte-Carlo resident, is making his 12th appearance (18-11 record) after reaching the final last year (l. to Djokovic); also reached SF in 2007 (l. to champion Nadal). Has not lost his opening match here since 2009 (1R l. to Fognini)
• Advanced to QF-or-better at 5 of 6 tournaments this season, most recently reaching ATP Masters 1000 Miami QF (l. to champion Djokovic)
• Reached 6th straight Australian Open QF (d. Bautista Agut in 5 sets, l. to No. 3 Federer)
• Fell to No. 1 Djokovic in Doha SF and Kyrgios in both Marseille SF and Dubai QF
• Helped Czech Republic defeat Germany 3-2 in Davis Cup 1R by winning 5-setter over A. Zverev in 4h, 20m
• Also won doubles w/Stepanek for 50th Davis Cup victory of career (d. Kohlschreiber/Petzschner)
• Retired with right hamstring injury in 4th rubber while trailing Kohlschreiber 63 75

Dzumhur 2016 FastFacts:

YTD W-L: 9-8 (1-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: May 20, 1992
Emirates ATP Ranking: 99
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2R – 2016)

• The 23-year-old Bosnian qualifier made his main draw debut with a 62 60 win over Haase in 1R
• Owns 1-5 record against Top 10 players (1-1 in 2016); beat No. 5 Nadal in ATP Masters 1000 Miami 2R when Spaniard retired trailing 26 64 30
• Lost in 2R at 1st 5 main draws of 2016 season: Doha, Australian Open, Sofia, Memphis and Delray Beach
• Avenged Memphis 2R loss by beating Berankis in Delray Beach 1R (l. to Dimitrov in 2R)
• Followed 1R losses at Acapulco (l. to champion Thiem) and ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Granollers) by advancing to ATP Masters 1000 Miami 4R (d. No. 5 Nadal, l. to Raonic), a career-best run at a Masters 1000 event
• Rallied from 2 sets to 1 down to defeat Edmund in Australian Open 1R (l. to Goffin in 2R)

Pablo Cuevas (URU) vs [10] Milos Raonic (CAN) Raonic Leads 1-0
14 Oeiras (Portugal) Clay R16 Milos Raonic 6-3 6-2

Other meeting:
10 Valencia Q (Spain) Hard 1R Pablo Cuevas 1-6 6-4 7-5

Cuevas 2016 FastFacts:

W (2): Rio de Janeiro (d Pella); Sao Paulo (d Carreno Busta); QF: Buenos Aires (l Ferrer)
YTD W-L: 15-5 (12-1 on clay)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: January 1, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 25
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2R – 2016)

• The 30-year-old Uruguayan is making his main draw debut. Fell in Q2 on only other appearance at Monte-Carlo Country Club in 2009
• Opened Tuesday with a 76(2) 67(2) 76(4) win over qualifier Gimeno-Traver in 1R
• Earned 9 straight wins on clay courts of Brazil, sweeping 4th and 5th career titles at Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo
• Captured 1st ATP World Tour 500 championship of career at Rio de Janeiro, becoming 1st player to beat only lefties en route to a title (d. Bagnis, Monteiro, Delbonis, No. 5 Nadal and Pella)
• Followed by beating Bagnis, Monteiro, Lajovic and Carreño Busta for 2nd straight São Paulo crown
• Earned 1st Australian Open singles win in 4th appearance (d. Nishioka, l. to Kyrgios in 2R)
• Reached Australian Open doubles SF w/Granollers (d. Dodig/Melo and Pospisil/Sock, l. to Nestor/Stepanek)

Raonic 2016 FastFacts:
W: Brisbane (d Federer); F: ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Djokovic); SF: Australian Open (l Murray); QF: ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l Kyrgios)
YTD W-L: 18-3 (1-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 8
Date of Birth: December 27, 1990
Emirates ATP Ranking: 12
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 8-5 (QF 2014-15)

• The 25-year-old Canadian, a Monte Carlo resident, is making his sixth tournament appearance. Reached QF past two seasons (2014 l. to champion Wawrinka, 2015 l. to No. 8 Berdych)
• Opened Monday with a 63 75 win over wild card Cecchinato in 1R
• Won 1st 9 matches of 2016 season, highlighted by 8th career title at Brisbane (d. No. 3 Federer). Win over Federer avenged loss to Swiss in 2015 Brisbane final
• Upset No. 4 Wawrinka in 5 sets en route to 2nd Grand Slam SF at Australian Open (l. to No. 2 Murray in 5 sets)
• Withdrew from Delray Beach, Acapulco and Davis Cup 1R due to muscular tear sustained in Australian Open SF
• Returned to reached ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells final (l. to Djokovic) and ATP Masters 1000 Miami QF (l. to Kyrgios)

[9] Richard Gasquet (FRA) vs [WC] Lucas Pouille (FRA) Gasquet Leads 1-0
15 Montpellier (France) Hard R16 Richard Gasquet 6-3 7-6(6)

Gasquet 2016 FastFacts:
W: Montpellier (d Mathieu); QF: Marseille (l Kyrgios)
YTD W-L: 11-3 (2-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 13
Date of Birth: June 18, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 10
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 15-8 (SF-2005)

• The 29-year-old Frenchman is making his ninth appearance at the Monte Carlo Country Club (15-8 record); reached SF in 2005 (QF d. No. 1 Federer, SF l. to Nadal) and QF for third time in 2015 (l. to Fognini; also 2007, l. to Ferrero)
• Opened Monday with 64 60 win over Almagro in 1R
• Improved to 13-12 in ATP World Tour finals by earning 3rd title at Montpellier (d. Mathieu) in February
• Moved into 2nd place among Frenchmen in Open Era with 13 titles (Noah 23)
• Advanced to Marseille QF (l. to Kyrgios) and ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 4R (d. Dolgopolov, l. to Cilic)
• Clinched France’s Davis Cup 1R win over Canada in doubles w/Tsonga (d. Bester/Pospisil)
• Withdrew from Doha and Australian Open with back injury and from Rotterdam with flu

Pouille 2016 FastFacts:
QF: Brisbane (l Raonic)
YTD W-L: 6-6 (1-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: February 23, 1994
Emirates ATP Ranking: 82
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 2-1 (2R 2015-16)

• The 22-year-old Frenchman is making his second tournament appearance after reaching 2R on debut last year (l. to No. 5 Nadal)
• Opened with 76(1) 63 win over Mahut in 1R
• Advanced to 5th ATP World Tour singles QF at Brisbane (d. Goffin, l. to Raonic)
• Reached 1st doubles SF of career at Australian Open w/Mannarino (d. Bolelli/Fognini and Rojer/Tecau, l. to J. Murray/Soares)
• Reached 4R at ATP Masters 1000 event for first time in Miami (d. No. 8 Ferrer, l. to Simon)
• Fell to 0-3 lifetime at Australian Open with 1R loss to Raonic
• Qualified at Dubai (l. to Pospisil in 1R)

Alexander Zverev (GER) vs [LL] Marcel Granollers (ESP) First Meeting

Zverev 2016 FastFacts:
SF: Montpellier (l Mathieu); QF: Rotterdam (l Monfils)
YTD W-L: 11-8 (1-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: April 20, 1997
Emirates ATP Ranking: 54
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2R – 2016)

• The 18-year-old German made his tournament debut with a 61 63 win over wild card Rublev, also 18, in 1R
• Beat Dimitrov and Simon en route to ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 4R (l. to No. 5 Nadal after holding 1 MP). Afterwards, achieved career-high No. 52 in Emirates ATP Rankings on March 21
• Followed with 2R at ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Johnson)
• Reached 3rd ATP singles SF at Montpellier (d. Vanni in 1R after saving 1 MP, l. to Mathieu)
• Win over No. 13 Cilic in Montpellier 2R is biggest of career by ranking
• Advanced to Rotterdam QF (d. Simon 76 in 3rd, l. to Monfils)
• Fell to eventual finalist Murray in 1R of Australian Open debut
• Appeared in 2nd ATP doubles final with older brother Mischa at Montpellier (l. to Pavic/Venus)
• In Davis Cup debut, fell to No. 7 Berdych in 4h, 20m and Rosol in deciding rubber (CZE d. GER 3-2)

Granollers 2016 FastFacts
YTD W-L: 4-8 (0-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: April 12, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 67
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 3-7 (2R – 2009, 2013, 2015-16)

• The 30-year-old Spaniard is making his eighth main-draw appearance (3-7 record) as a Lucky Loser; fell in Q2 to Gimeno-Traver before replacing No. 6 seed Ferrer (calf injury)
• Started season 3-7 in singles, with wins at Australian Open (d. No. 106 Ebden), Memphis (d. No. 120 Jaziri) and ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (d. No. 93 Dzumhur)
• Fell to 0-6 lifetime in Australian Open 2R matches with loss to No. 11 Isner
• Reached Canberra, AUS Challenger SF (d. Halys, l. to Lorenzi)
• In doubles, advanced to Australian Open SF w/Cuevas (d. Dodig/Melo and Pospisil/Sock, l. to Nestor/Stepanek)

COURT 2

[16] Benoit Paire (FRA) vs Joao Sousa (POR) Sousa Leads 1-0
15 Valencia (Spain) Hard R16 Joao Sousa 6-3 2-6 6-3

Other meeting:
09 Portugal F5 (Portugal) Clay QF Benoit Paire 1-6 6-4 6-1

Paire 2016 FastFacts:
SF (2): Chennai (l Wawrinka), Marseille (l Cilic)
YTD W-L: 8-10 (1-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: May 8, 1989
Emirates ATP Ranking: 22
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 3-3 (2R-2013, ’15, ’16)

Sousa 2016 FastFacts:

YTD W-L: 5-10 (1-1 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 2
Date of Birth: March 30, 1989
Emirates ATP Ranking: 34
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 2-2 (2R – 2015-16)

[Q] Taro Daniel (JPN) vs [12] Dominic Thiem (AUT) First Meeting

Daniel 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 2-7 (1-3 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: January 27, 1993
Emirates ATP Ranking: 90
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2R – 2016)

Thiem 2016 FastFacts:
W (2): Buenos Aires (d Almagro), Acapulco (d Tomic); SF (2): Brisbane (l Federer), Rio de Janeiro (l Pella)
YTD W-L: 25-6 (9-1 on clay)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: September 3, 1993
Emirates ATP Ranking: 14
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 1-2 (2R – 2016)

[11] David Goffin (BEL) vs [WC] Fernando Verdasco (ESP) Verdasco Leads 2-1

13 Australian Open (Australia) Hard R128 F. Verdasco 6-3 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-4
13 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Spain) Clay R64 F. Verdasco 7-6(2) 6-2
15 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (U.S.A.) Hard R32 David Goffin 6-4 7-6(4)

Goffin 2016 FastFacts:
SF (2): ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Raonic), ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l Djokovic); QF: Marseille (l Berdych)
YTD W-L: 17-6 (3-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 2
Date of Birth: December 7, 1990
Emirates ATP Ranking: 13
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 2-3 (2R 2015-16)

Verdasco 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 8-6 (2-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 6
Date of Birth: November 15, 1983
Emirates ATP Ranking: 88
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 9-10 (Finalist – 2010)

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Rubin Reflects On Kudla Upset At Sarasota Challenger

  • Posted: Apr 13, 2016

Rubin Reflects On Kudla Upset At Sarasota Challenger

The rising American star saved a match point to defeat No. 1 seed Denis Kudla in a third-set tiebreaker

Noah Rubin recorded his third Top 100 win of 2016 on Monday at the $100,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Sarasota. Facing fellow American and No. 1 seed Denis Kudla in the opening round, Rubin rallied from 3-5 down in the final set and saved a match point to prevail, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (8).

Rubin will next play Gonzalo Lama in his second-round match on Wednesday. 

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Murray/Soares Escape With Monte-Carlo Opener

  • Posted: Apr 13, 2016

Murray/Soares Escape With Monte-Carlo Opener

Murray/Soares win final three points of the match

The newly-minted World No. 1 doubles player and his partner survived a tight opening match at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Tuesday.

Jamie Murray, who took over the No. 1 spot in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings last week, and Bruno Soares beat Canadian Daniel Nestor and Czech Radek Stepanek 6-7(5), 7-6(9), 14-12 to move into the quarter-finals. The Brit and the Brazilian, the No. 4 seeds, received a first-round bye.

In the second set, Murray and Soares erased two match points. In the match tie-break, they were down 11-12 as Nestor and Stepanek had a another match point. But the No. 4 seeds earned two mini-breaks and held to win the final three points.

In another close contest, Spaniard David Marrero and Frenchman Benoit Paire defeated the Austrian team of Oliver Marach and Dominic Thiem 7-6(5), 7-6(4). Marrerro and Paire will face the No. 2 seeds Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Marcelo Melo of Brazil in the second round.

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Tsonga Outlasts Carreno Busta In Monte-Carlo Opener

  • Posted: Apr 13, 2016

Tsonga Outlasts Carreno Busta In Monte-Carlo Opener

Frenchman overcomes 41 unforced errors to advance

Eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came through a tough opener on Tuesday evening, beating Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6(1), 7-6(5) to reach the third round of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.

The Frenchman served for the match at 6-5 in the second set, but the resilient Carreno Busta fought back to force a tie-break. Tsonga rallied from a 3-5 deficit in the tie-break to claim victory in just over two hours.

The 30-year-old Tsonga claimed his 12th win of the season, highlighted by reaching the semi-finals in Auckland (l. to Bautista Agut) and the quarter-finals in Indian Wells (l. to Djokovic). He enjoyed his best result at the Monte-Carlo Country Club three years ago, when he beat Stan Wawrinka en route to the semi-finals (l. to Nadal).

In an all-Italian first-round clash, Paolo Lorenzi rallied from a set down to beat Fabio Fognini 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 in 82 minutes. Lorenzi goes on to face Gael Monfils. Monfils leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 1-0.

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Del Potro Announces Next ATP World Tour Stops

  • Posted: Apr 12, 2016

Del Potro Announces Next ATP World Tour Stops

Argentine plans to return to clay later this month

Earlier this year, Juan Martin del Potro excited tennis fans in Delray Beach, Indian Wells and Miami by including those stops in his return to the ATP World Tour. In the coming weeks, tennis fans in Munich and Madrid will get to see him next.

The Argentine announced on his Facebook page on Tuesday that he’ll continue his comeback on clay at the BMW Open by FWU AG in Munich later this month and at the Mutua Madrid Open in May. It’s been about three years since del Potro last played on clay (Rome 2013). He most recently played in Munich in 2008 (QF l. to El Aynaoui) and in Madrid in 2012 (SF l. to Berdych).

The 27 year old returned to tour-level competition in February after sitting out 11 months because of surgery on his left wrist on 18 June. He played in just two tournaments in all of 2015.

Below is del Potro’s Facebook post to his fans:

Hello everyone!!

I am really happy to tell you that Munich and Madrid will be my first two clay tournaments after a long time… I’ve been practising on clay for a week now after years of not playing on this surface and I will keep getting better in the next few days.

Rehab on my wrist is going as planned. Although I must be patient I am thrilled to be able to confirm two tournaments in a row, the first time I do this since I came back to tennis.

As always, thanks for your messages!

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Federer Backhand Monte-Carlo 2016 Hot Shot

  • Posted: Apr 12, 2016

Federer Backhand Monte-Carlo 2016 Hot Shot

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Federer Enjoys Winning Return In Monte-Carlo

  • Posted: Apr 12, 2016

Federer Enjoys Winning Return In Monte-Carlo

Swiss wins in first match since Australian Open

It was like he’d never been away. After being sidelined since the Australian Open, Roger Federer raced into the third round of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Tuesday in his first match back on the ATP World Tour, dismissing Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-4.

After reaching the semi-finals in Melbourne, the Swiss underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for a meniscus tear. His scheduled comeback in Miami was then thwarted due to illness.

But the Basel native showed no signs of rust on Court Rainier III as he swept past Garcia-Lopez in 75 minutes. He only faltered once, losing his serve when attempting to close out the match at 5-2 in the second set. But the right-hander sealed victory at the second time of asking.

“The knee felt really good, like in practice. Felt like I didn’t have to worry about it. I could just go freely,” Federer said. “I think in a way it was a perfect match. It was close in the beginning, then I was able to go on a roll. Points were cut short by virtue of me serving better and returning better, getting second serves, taking advantage of that fact. At the end, again, I had to fight for it. I went through different phases in the match. Also emotionally, I was excited and tense in the beginning, just because it’s a first round. It’s my first match back. So it was nice to go through all these emotions.”

The 34-year-old Federer is a four-time finalist at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, finishing runner-up from 2006-08 (l. to Nadal) and again in 2014 (l. to Wawrinka). The Swiss is chasing his 25th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown.

“I think I got what I needed. So we’ll see how I feel tomorrow, tonight, the next day,” Federer said. “Sometimes after a match, you can feel it for two days. At this point I’m pretty confident I’ll feel fine.”

Last week’s Marrakech finalists both fell at the first hurdle in Monte-Carlo. Fernando Verdasco made short work of champion Federico Delbonis, beating the Argentine 6-0, 6-3, while Philipp Kohlschreiber defeated #NextGen player Borna Coric 6-4, 6-4.

David Goffin kept up his strong form, cruising into the second round with a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Feliciano Lopez. The 11th-seeded Goffin has made a career-best start this season, highlighted by reaching back-to-back semi-finals at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells (l. to Raonic) and Miami (l. to Djokovic) last month.

Qualifier Taro Daniel set a second-round clash with Dominic Thiem after beating Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-4, while Jiri Vesely will face World No. 1 Novak Djokovic after edging Teymuraz Gabashvili 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 in two hours and 20 minutes.

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