Andy Murray survived a stern test in his Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters opener on Tuesday, defeating France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

The second seed advanced in two hours and seven minutes over qualifier Herbert, losing serve four times, but breaking his opponent six times and ultimately winning six points more in the contest.

The 28-year-old Murray is looking for a return to top form after third-round exits in Indian Wells (l. to Delbonis) and Miami (l. to Dimitrov). He began 2016 with a fifth runner-up showing at the Australian Open, before taking a break from the ATP World Tour to celebrate the birth of his first child with wife, Kim Sears.

Last year, Murray enjoyed his best season to date on the dirt, capturing his first two clay-court titles in Munich (d. Kohlschreiber) and at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid (d. Nadal).

The Dunblane native, twice a semi-finalist at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, goes on to face either Benoit Paire or Joao Sousa. Sousa advanced to the second round with a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over Ivo Karlovic.

Gilles Simon opened the day’s proceedings on Court Ranier III with a 6-4, 6-3 second-round victory over Grigor Dimitrov. The 15th-seeded Frenchman beat Dimitrov for the fifth time in six meetings as he claimed his 11th win of the season.

In remaining first-round action, qualifier Damir Dzumhur cruised past Robin Haase 6-2, 6-0 in just 47 minutes, while Pablo Cuevas toiled for three hours and 20 minutes before edging qualifier Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-6(2), 6-7(2), 7-6(4).

DAY 3 PREVIEW: There are 14 singles and two doubles matches scheduled on Day 3 of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters as the first round is completed and second round gets underway. After first-round byes, No. 2 seed Andy Murray, No. 3 Roger Federer and No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga take to the court for the first time this year at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Four-time finalist Federer and two-time semi-finalist Murray are playing their first clay-court singles matches of the season.

Watch Live Matches On TennisTV

French players are featured in three of the four matches scheduled for Court Rainier III on Tuesday. First up is No. 15 seed Gilles Simon, one of six seeds in action, up against Grigor Dimitrov, a quarter-finalist here for the second time last year. Simon, who reached the semi-finals here four years ago, arrives with a 4-1 head-to-head record against the Bulgarian, including their only previous meeting on clay at Nice in 2012, but Dimitrov came out on top in their most recent encounter in the first round at Brisbane in the opening week of the season.

World No. 2 Murray, who reached the semis here in 2009 and 2011 (l. to Nadal both times), returns to Monte-Carlo for the first time since 2013 when he lost in the 3R (l. to Wawrinka). Murray comes into his showdown with Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert with an 11-7 tournament record, and won his opening doubles match with Dominic Inglot on Monday (d. Cuevas/Granollers). Last year the Scot won his maiden clay title at ATP Masters 1000 Madrid. Herbert qualified to make his tournament debut here this week and is searching for his first match win against a Top 10 opponent (0-4 career, 0-2 in 2016).

Federer, the No. 3 seed, is playing in Monte-Carlo for the 13th time in his career as he makes his return to the ATP World Tour after undergoing left knee surgery on February 3. The 34-year-old Swiss planned to return in Miami but withdrew due to gastroenteritis. Federer is 3-0 against Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, winning all seven sets in their previous meetings.This is their first meeting since Wimbledon in 2009 and it’s their first encounter on clay. Prior to his injury, Federer reached the final in Brisbane (l. to Raonic) and the semi-finals at the Australian Open (l. to Djokovic) on Jan. 28. The four-time finalist (2006-08, 2014) has a 28-12 record in Monte-Carlo. The only other tournament he has played more than without winning the title is Rome (15 times).

Tsonga’s showdown with Pablo Carreno Busta rounds out Tuesday’s schedule on Court Rainier III. The 30-year-old No. 8 seed is the last player outside of the Big Four to have won an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title (Toronto 2014) and one of four beyond the Big Four to have won one of the past 54 ATP Masters titles (also Soderling, Paris-Bercy 2010; Ferrer, Paris-Bercy 2012; and Wawrinka, Monte-Carlo 2014). Spaniard Carreno Busta is looking for his 10th clay court match win of 2016 (9-5 record) – only Pablo Cuevas has more (11-1 record). The Uruguyan faces qualifier Daniel Gimeno-Traver in the day’s opening match on Court Des Princes.

Among the highlights on the other three courts on Tuesday, No. 11 seed David Goffin attempts to extend his unbeaten record against left-handers in 2016 (4-0 for season, 22-11 career) against Feliciano Lopez, fresh from last week’s semi-final run in Houston (l. to eventual champion Monaco), while No .14 seed Roberto Bautista Agut plays his second-round match against Jeremy Chardy. Italians Fabio Fognini and Paolo Lorenzi face off for the third time on the ATP World Tour, and Marrakech finalists Federico Delbonis and Borna Coric are back on court for their first-round encounters: Sunday’s winner Delbonis faces wild card and 2010 Monte-Carlo finalist Fernando Verdasco, while 19-year-old Next Generation star Coric takes on German Philipp Kohlschreiber. On Court 9, Ivo Karlovic returns from a knee injury and not only looks for his first win of the year (0-4) but the 300th in his career. The 37-year-old Croat takes on Portuguese No. 1 Joao Sousa for the first time.

DAY 3 FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS – In Order of Play by Court

[15] Gilles Simon (FRA) vs Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) Simon Leads 4-1
09 Marseille (France) Hard R32 Gilles Simon 4-6 6-3 7-5
09 London / Queen’s Club (Great Britain) Grass R32 Gilles Simon 7-6(7) 7-6(5)
12 Nice (France) Clay R16 Gilles Simon 6-3 6-3
12 London Olympics (Great Britain) Grass R32 Gilles Simon 6-3 6-3
16 Brisbane (Australia) Hard R32 Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 7-6(10)

Simon 2016 FastFacts:
QF: ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l Goffin)
YTD W-L: 10-7 (2-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 12
Date of Birth: December 27, 1984
Emirates ATP Ranking: 19
Monte Carlo W-L (Best Result): 11-9 (SF-2012)

• The 31-year-old Nice native is making his 10th main-draw appearance at Monte Carlo (11-9 record); reached SF in 2012 (3R d. No. 8 Tipsarevic, QF d. No. 5 Tsonga, SF l. to No. 2 Nadal). Last year fell in 3R (l. to No. 7 Ferrer). Opened Sunday with a 63 64 win over Troicki in 1R
• Advanced to Australian Open 4R for 3rd time (d. Donskoy in 5 sets, l. to No. 1 Djokovic in 5 sets); pushed Djokovic to 100 unforced errors over 4 hours, 32 minutes
• Helped France to 5-0 sweep of Canada in Davis Cup 1R with straight-set win over Pospisil
• As defending champion, held 3 MPs vs. Gabashvili in Marseille 1R before losing 76 in 3rd
• Reached QF at ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Goffin), best run at ATP Masters 1000 event since Shanghai 2014 (F, l. to Federer)

Dimitrov 2016 FastFacts:
F: Sydney (l Troicki); SF: Delray Beach (l Ram); QF (2): Brisbane (l Federer), Acapulco (l Thiem)
YTD W-L: 15-7 (1-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: May 16, 1991
Emirates ATP Ranking: 26
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 9-3 (QF-2013, ’15)

• The 24-year-old Bulgarian is making his fourth tournament appearance (9-3 record) and has twice reached QF here (2013 l. to No. 5 Nadal; 2015 3R d. No. 9 Wawrinka, l. to Monfils). Opened Monday with a 63 62 1R win over qualifier Krajinovic
• Held 1 MP in Sydney final before falling to Troicki 76 in 3rd
• Advanced to SFs at Delray Beach (l. to Ram) and QFs at Brisbane (l. to No. 3 Federer) and Acapulco (l. to Thiem)
• Reached Australian Open 3R (l. to No. 3 Federer)
• Fell to A. Zverev in ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 1R before beating No. 2 Murray in ATP Masters 1000 Miami 3R (l. 4R to Monfils)

[Q] Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) vs [2] Andy Murray (GBR) First Meeting

Herbert 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 4-3 (1-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: March 18, 1991
Emirates ATP Ranking: 95
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2R-2016)

• The 25-year-old French qualifier made his main draw debut in 1R where he beat Pella 63 64 Monday
• Owns an 0-4 record against Top 10 (0-2 in 2016; Australian Open l. 3R to No. 10 Tsonga, ATP Masters 1000 Miami l. 2R to No. 6 Nishikori)
• Qualified and reached 3R in Australian Open singles debut (d. Andujar and Rubin, l. to No. 10 Tsonga)
• Also qualified at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells, falling in 1R to fellow qualifier Kovalik 76 in 3rd, and ATP Masters 1000 Miami, reaching 2R (1R d. Rosol, l. to No. 6 Nishikori)
• Captured 3rd ATP Challenger Tour singles title at Bergamo, ITA (d. Gerasimov)
• Won 14th ATP Challenger Tour doubles title at Wroclaw, POL w/Olivetti (d. Mektic/Sancic)
• No. 2 (w/Mahut) in Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings after winning back-to-back titles at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami. They come in here with 10-match winning streak

Murray 2016 FastFacts:
F: Australian Open (l Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 10-3 (0-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 35
Date of Birth: May 15, 1987
Emirates ATP Ranking: 2
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 11-7 (SF-2009, ’11)

• The 28-year-old Briton is making his eighth appearance in Monte-Carlo, where he has twice reached SF (2009 & 2011, l. both times to eventual champion Nadal)
• Fell to 0-5 in Australian Open finals with 4th championship match loss to No. 1 Djokovic
• With brother Jamie, became 1st brothers in Open Era to reach singles & doubles finals at same major
• Improved to 20-7 in 5-setters with wins over Raonic in Australian Open SF and No. 6 Nishikori in Davis Cup 1R
• Extended Davis Cup win streak to 14 matches with 3 victories to lead Great Britain past Japan 3-1
• Advanced to ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 3R (d. Granollers, l. to Delbonis 76 in 3rd) and ATP Masters 1000 Miami 3R (d. Istomin, l. to Dimitrov in 3 sets)

[3] Roger Federer (SUI) vs Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) Federer Leads 3-0
06 Basel (Switzerland) Carpet R16 Roger Federer 6-2 6-0
08 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (U.S.A.) Hard R64 Roger Federer 6-3 6-2
09 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass R64 Roger Federer 6-2 6-2 6-4

Federer 2016 FastFacts:
F: Brisbane (l Raonic); SF: Australian Open (l Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 8-2 (0-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 88
Date of Birth: August 8, 1981
Emirates ATP Ranking: 3
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 28-12 (Finalist-2006, ’07, ’08, ’14)

• The 34-year-old Swiss is making his 13th appearance at the Monte-Carlo Country Club (28-12 record); has reached final four times (2006-08, l. to Nadal, 2014 l. to Wawrinka), last year reached 3R (l. to Monfils)
• Playing first tournament since left meniscus tear on January 29 and successful arthroscopic knee surgery on February 3
• Withdrew from Rotterdam, Dubai and ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells following knee surgery; pulled out of ATP Masters 1000 Miami with gastroenteritis
• Advanced to 12th Australian Open SF (d. No. 6 Berdych, l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Earned record-extending 300th Grand Slam win of career in Australian Open 3R on Jan. 22 (d. Dimitrov)
• Started season by beating Thiem en route to Brisbane final rematch vs. Raonic, which he lost 64 64

Garcia-Lopez 2016 FastFacts:
QF (3): Chennai (l Wawrinka), Sofia (l Muller), Marrakech (l Vesely)
YTD W-L: 8-9 (2-1 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: June 4, 1983
Emirates ATP Ranking: 38
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 6-5 (QF-2014)

• The 32-year-old Spaniard is making his sixth main draw appearance and first since 2014, when he reached QF (3R d. No. 5 Berdych, l. to No. 1 Djokovic). Opened Monday with 75 61 win over Bellucci
• Owns a 12-42 record against Top 10 opponents (0-2 in 2016; Chennai QF l. to No. 4 Wawrinka, Australian Open 3R l. to No. 7 NIshikori)
• Advanced to QFs at Chennai (l. to No. 4 Wawrinka), Sofia (l. to Muller) and Marrakech (l. to Vesely)
• Reached Australian Open 3R for 4th time in career (l. to No. 7 Nishikori in 4 sets). Made 45th straight Grand Slam main draw appearance, tied with Djokovic for 5th-longest active streak

Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) vs [8] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) Tsonga Leads 1-0
14 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 6-4 6-4

Carreno Busta 2016 FastFacts:
F: Sao Paulo (l Cuevas); QF (2): Quito (l Bellucci), Marrakech (l Delbonis)
YTD W-L: 10-9 (9-5 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: July 12, 1991
Emirates ATP Ranking: 51
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 3-2 (3R-2014)

• The 24-year-old Spaniard is making his third appearance in Monte Carlo. Reached 3R as a qualifier on debut in 2014 (l. to No. 2 Djokovic), lost in 1R last year (l. to Stakhovsky). Opened Monday with a 63 61 win over French qualifier Robert in 1R
• Owns an 0-7 record against Top 10 opponents (0-2 in 2016; Doha 1R, Rio de Janeiro 1R, l. both to No. 5 Nadal)
• Defeated 4 countrymen en route to 1st ATP World Tour singles final at São Paulo (l. to Cuevas)
• Beat Dutra Silva and Cervantes to reach Quito QF (l. to Bellucci in 3 sets); also reached QF at Marrakech (l. to champion Delbonis)
• Fell to friend Nadal in 1R at Doha and Rio de Janeiro
• Won 1st ATP doubles title at Quito w/Duran (d. Bellucci/Demoliner)
• Reached 2R at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Monfils), exited 1R at ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Millman)
• Also reached back-to-back doubles finals w/Marrero at Rio de Janeiro (d. Melo/Soares, l. to Cabal/Farah) and São Paulo (l. to Peralta/Zeballos)
• Achieved career-high No. 52 in Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings on Feb. 29 following 12-4 start to season

Tsonga 2016 FastFacts:
SF: Auckland (l Bautista Agut); QF (2): Buenos Aires (l Almagro); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 11-6 (2-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 12
Date of Birth: April 17, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 9
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 11-6 (SF-2013)

• The 30-year-old Frenchman is making his seventh tournament appearance. Reached SF in 2013 (l. to Nadal) and QF in 2012, 2014. Last year reached 3R (l. to No. 10 Cilic)
• Reached 2nd week of Australian Open for 7th time (l. to No. 7 Nishikori in 4R)
• Clinched France’s Davis Cup 1R win over Canada in doubles w/Gasquet (d. Bester/Pospisil)
• Squandered 1 MP in Auckland SF loss to eventual champion Bautista Agut
• Reached QF at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to champion Djokovic) and 3R at ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Bautista Agut)
• Fell to World No. 338 Monteiro in Rio de Janeiro 1R – worst loss by ranking for a Top 10 player since No. 388 Olivetti beat No. 8 Fish at 2012 Marseille

COURT DES PRINCES

[Q] Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) vs Pablo Cuevas (URU) First ATP Meeting

Other meetings:
09 Scheveningen CH (Netherlands) Clay R16 Pablo Cuevas 7-6(2) 4-6 6-4
09 Hamburg Q (Germany) Clay Q2 Pablo Cuevas 6-2 7-6(3)

Gimeno-Traver 2016 FastFacts:
QF: Rio de Janeiro (l Pella)
YTD W-L: 4-5 (4-3 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: August 7, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 131
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 1-3 (2R – 2011)

• The 30-year-old Spaniard is making his fourth main-draw appearance (1-3 record); reached 2R in 2011 (l. to No. 10 Monfils). Last main-draw appearance: 2013 (l. 1R to Youzhny)
• Qualified and reached QFs at Rio de Janeiro (d. Monaco and Fognini, l. to Pella 75 in 3rd)
• Enjoyed 3 walkovers en route to QF: Mathieu in Q2, Monaco in 1R (right shoulder) and Fognini in 2R (abdomen)
• Advanced to 2R at São Paulo (d. Clezar, l. to Carreño Busta) and Marrakech (d. Gabashvili, l. to Montanes)

Cuevas 2016 FastFacts:
W (2): Rio de Janeiro (d Pella); Sao Paulo (d Carreno Busta); QF: Buenos Aires (l Ferrer)
YTD W-L: 14-5 (11-1 on clay)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: January 1, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 25
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): Debut

• 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
• Earned 9 straight wins on clay courts of Brazil, sweeping 4th and 5th career titles at Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in February
• 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
• Owns 11-1 record against left-handed players and 3-4 record against right-handed players in 2016
• 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)

[11] David Goffin (BEL) vs Feliciano Lopez (ESP) First Meeting

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: 16-6
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 2
Date of Birth: December 7, 1990
Emirates ATP Ranking: 13
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 1-3 (2R-2015)

• The 25-year-old Belgian is making his fourth appearance (1-3 record); reached 2R in 2015 (l. to Tsonga)
• Owns a 4-0 record against left-handers in 2016 (22-11 career); wins this season over Bellucci (Brisbane 1R), M. Zverev (Marseille 2R), Pella (ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 3R) and Zeballos (ATP Masters 1000 Miami 4R)
• Advanced to Australian Open 4R for 1st time (d. Thiem, l. to No. 3 Federer)
• Defeated Coric and Cilic, but lost doubles w/Bemelmans to Dodig/Skugor during Davis Cup 1R (CRO d. BEL 3-2)
• Reached Marseille QF (l. to No. 8 Berdych)
• Advanced to SFs at ATP Masters 1000 events at Indian Wells (first of career; 4R d. No. 4 Wawrinka, l. to Raonic) and Miami (l. to champion/No. 1 Djokovic)
• Win over Wawrinka at Indian Wells ended 14-match losing streak against Top-10 foes (2-26 overall)

Lopez 2016 FastFacts:
SF (2): Dubai (l Baghdatis), Houston (l Monaco); QF: Quito (l Ramos-Vinolas)
YTD W-L: 10-8 (3-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: September 20, 1981
Emirates ATP Ranking: 23
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 4-9 (2R – 2003-04, ’06, ’11)

• The 34-year-old Spaniard is making his 10th tournament appearance and first since 2012 (l. 1R to Wawrinka); reached 2R on four occasions, most recently 2011 (l. to No. 6 Ferrer)
• Earned 2nd win vs. World No. 1 when Djokovic retired with eye problem in Dubai QF (l. SF to Baghdatis). Defeated Garcia-Lopez for 400th career singles win in Dubai 1R on Feb. 22
• Beat Bautista Agut 76 67 64 in 3h16m to reach ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 4R (l. to No. 1 Djokovic); lost 2R (after 1R bye) at ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Nishioka)
• Appeared in 56th straight Grand Slam main draw at Aust. Open (d. Pella in 5 sets, l. to Isner in 3R)
• Reached second SF of season at Houston (l. to eventual champion Monaco) last week
• Retired down 75 43 in Quito QF vs. Ramos-Viñolas due to fatigue
• Captured 2nd doubles title of career at Doha w/M. Lopez (d. J. Murray/Soares and Peya/Petzschner)
• Held 2 MPs in Dubai doubles final w/M. Lopez before falling 14-12 in Match TB to Bolelli/Seppi

Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) Fognini Leads 2-0
13 Oeiras (Portugal) Clay R16 Fabio Fognini 7-6(5) 5-7 6-4
13 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard R64 Fabio Fognini 4-6 7-6(5) 6-4

Other meetings:
07 Furth CH (Germany) Clay QF Fabio Fognini 6-3 6-2
08 Genova CH (Italy) Clay R16 Fabio Fognini 7-5 6-2

Fognini 2016 FastFacts:
QF: Auckland (l Tsonga)
YTD W-L: 3-4 (1-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 3
Date of Birth: May 24, 1987
Emirates ATP Ranking: 31
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 11-7 (SF – 2013)

• The 28-year-old Italian reached SF here in 2013 (3R d. No. 6 Berdych, QF d. No. 9 Gasquet, l. to Djokovic); he is making his eighth tournament visit (11-7 record) and reached 2R in 2015 (l. to Dimitrov)
• Saved 2 MPs in 64 26 76(3) win over Sousa in Auckland 1R (l. to No. 10 Tsonga in QF)
• In defense of Australian Open doubles title w/Bolelli, lost to Mannarino/Pouille in 2R
• Also fell in Australian Open singles 1R to Muller and conceded walkover in mixed doubles 2R w/Errani vs. Tecau/Vandeweghe due to abdominal muscle strain
• Same injury forced retirement in Rio de Janeiro 2R vs. Gimeno-Traver and withdrawal from São Paulo, ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells and ATP Masters 1000 Miami

Lorenzi 2016 FastFacts:
SF: Quito (l Bellucci); QF: Buenos Aires (l Nadal)
YTD W-L: 8-7 (8-5 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: December 15, 1981
Emirates ATP Ranking: 53
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): Debut

• The 34-year-old Italian is making his main draw debut; 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)

Jeremy Chardy (FRA) vs [14] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) Chardy Leads 1-0
13 Roland Garros (France) Clay R64 Jeremy Chardy 6-1 7-5 6-4

Chardy 2016 FastFacts:
QF (3): Doha (l Marchenko), Sydney (l Muller), Delray Beach (l del Potro)
YTD W-L: 9-8 (1-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: February 12, 1987
Emirates ATP Ranking: 33
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 3-6 (2R- 2014-16)

• The 29-year-old Frenchman is making his seventh appearance at the Monte-Carlo Country Club (3-6 record); has reached 2R for 3rd straight season (2014 l. to No. 6 Ferrer, 2015 l. to No. 2 Federer). Opened Sunday with 76(3) 75 win over No. 46 Kuznetsov, his highest-ranked victory of season
• Advanced to QFs at Doha (l. to Marchenko), Sydney (l. to Muller) and Delray Beach (l. to del Potro)
• Has lost opening matches in last three events: Acapulco (l. to Fritz), ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Kuznetsov) and ATP Masters 1000 Miami (l. to Verdasco).
• In Australian Open 1R, defeated Gulbis 13-11 in 5th after 4h, 43m (l. to An. Kuznetsov in 2R)
• In Rotterdam 1R, saved 1 MP to defeat Donskoy 76 in 3rd (l. to Mahut in 2R)

Bautista Agut 2016 FastFacts:
W (2): Auckland (d Sock), Sofia (d Troicki); QF (3): Chennai (l Coric), Rotterdam (l Klizan), Dubai (l Baghdatis)
YTD W-L: 19-6 (1-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: April 14, 1988
Emirates ATP Ranking: 17
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 5-3 (3R – 2015)

• The 27-year-old Spaniard is making his fourth appearance after reaching 3R for the first time last year (l. to No. 8 Berdych). Opened Monday with 64 76(4) 1R win over countryman Ramos-Vinolas
• Captured 3rd and 4th titles respectively at Auckland (d. Sock) and Sofia (d. Troicki)
• Saved 1 MP to beat No. 10 Tsonga in Auckland SF, snapping 17-match losing streak to Top 10 opponents
• Advanced to Australian Open 4R for 2nd time (d. Cilic, l. to No. 6 Berdych in 5 sets)
• Reached QFs at Chennai (l. to Coric 76 in 3rd), Rotterdam (l. to Klizan after holding 5 MPs) and Dubai (l. to Baghdatis)
• Fell to countryman Lopez 76(5) 67(1) 64 after 3h, 16m at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells 3R before reaching 4R at ATP Masters 1000 Miami (3R d. No. 9 Tsonga, l. to No. 6 Nishikori)

COURT 2

Jiri Vesely (CZE) vs Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) First ATP Meeting

Other meeting:
13 Orleans CH (France) Hard R32 Jiri Vesely 6-3 6-2

Vesely 2016 FastFacts:
SF: Marrakech (l Coric)
YTD W-L: 4-8 (3-1 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: July 10, 1993
Emirates ATP Ranking: 55
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 0-1 (1R – 2015)

Gabashvili 2016 FastFacts:
SF: Sydney (l Troicki)
YTD W-L: 7-9 (0-1 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: May 23, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 52
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 1-3 (2R – 2014)

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) vs Borna Coric (CRO) Kohlschreiber Leads 1-0
16 Dubai (U.A.E.) Hard R16 P. Kohlschreiber 6-2 7-6(5)

Kohlschreiber 2016 FastFacts:
SF: Rotterdam (l Monfils); QF (2): Sofia (l Troicki), Dubai (l Wawrinka)
YTD W-L: 11-6 (0-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 6
Date of Birth: October 16, 1983
Emirates ATP Ranking: 28
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 15-9 (QF – 2007 ’10)

Coric 2016 FastFacts:
F (2): Chennai (l Wawrinka), Marrakech (l Delbonis)
YTD W-L: 11-10 (3-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: November 14, 1996
Emirates ATP Ranking: 42
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 0-1 (1R – 2015)

[WC] Fernando Verdasco (ESP) vs Federico Delbonis (ARG) Delbonis Leads 1-0
13 Hamburg (Germany) Clay QF Federico Delbonis 6-7(5) 7-6(8) 6-4

Verdasco 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 7-6 (1-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 6
Date of Birth: November 15, 1983
Emirates ATP Ranking: 88
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 8-10 (Finalist – 2010)

Delbonis 2016 FastFacts:
W: Marrakech (d Coric); QF (2): Rio de Janeiro (l Cuevas), Sao Paulo (l Cervantes)
YTD W-L: 15-7 (8-3 on clay)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 2
Date of Birth: October 5, 1990
Emirates ATP Ranking: 36
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 0-2 (1R – 2012, ’14)

COURT 9

Karlovic 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 0-4 (0-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 6
Date of Birth: February 28, 1979
Emirates ATP Ranking: 30
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 2-5 (2R – 2008-09)

Sousa 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 4-10 (0-1 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 2
Date of Birth: March 30, 1989
Emirates ATP Ranking: 34
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 1-2 (2R – 2015)

Robin Haase (NED) vs [Q] Damir Dzumhur (BIH) First Meeting

Haase 2016 FastFacts:
QF: Acapulco (l Dolgopolov)
YTD W-L: 6-8 (0-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 2
Date of Birth: April 6, 1987
Emirates ATP Ranking: 62
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 4-5 (QF – 2012)

Dzumhur 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 8-8 (0-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: May 20, 1992
Emirates ATP Ranking: 99
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): Debut

Adrian Mannarino (FRA) vs [Q] Taro Daniel (JPN) First Meeting

Mannarino 2016 FastFacts:
QF (2): Sofia (l Bautista Agut); Delray Beach (l Dimitrov)
YTD W-L: 9-7 (0-0 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: June 29, 1988
Emirates ATP Ranking: 73
Monte-Carlo W-L (Best Result): 0-1 (1R – 2015)

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

Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco returned to their winning ways in doubles at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Monday. The Spanish duo, who had to withdraw before their second-round match at the Miami Open presented by Itau, won 82 per cent of their service points to beat ATP World Tour veterans Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany and Viktor Troicki of Serbia 6-4, 6-2.

In the second round, Nadal and Verdasco, a wild card entry, will face No. 3 seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, who received a first-round bye. Herbert and Mahut are trying to become only the second team since the ATP World Tour Masters 1000s began in 1990 to win the first three Masters 1000 titles of the year. The Frenchmen won back-to-back titles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (d. Pospisil/Sock) and in Miami (d. Klaasen/Ram). They enter Monte-Carlo on a 10-match winning streak.

Another notable singles player also was successful in doubles on Monday. Andy Murray teamed with compatriot Dominic Inglot to beat Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas and Spain’s Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-4. The Brits broke their opponents three times to win in an hour and six minutes. Inglot and Murray will face the No. 7 seeds Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Serbian Nenad Zimonjic.

Swede Robert Lindstedt and Austrian Alexander Peya beat the French team of Jeremy Chardy and Gilles Simon 2-6, 6-3, 10-8. They’ll play the No. 6 seeds Rohan Bopanna of India and Florin Mergea of Romania.

Treat Huey of the Philippines and Max Mirnyi of Belarus also were victorious, beating Italians Fabio Fognini and Paolo Lorenzi 1-6, 7-6(5), 10-8. They’ll meet the Polish team of Lukasz Kubot and Marcin Matkowski, the No. 8 seeds.

Milos Raonic made a strong start to his Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters campaign on Monday, defeating Italian wild card Marco Cecchinato 6-3, 7-5 on Court Ranier III.

Reflecting on his performance, Raonic said, “I think I did some things well. I stepped up and I played aggressive when I needed to. But I let myself fall into a little bit too much of a defensive pattern where I was playing a little too far back. It didn’t allow me to use my game to dictate. I was a little bit more reactive rather than proactive.

“Other than that, I have to be happy that I gave myself another chance to play better in two days. I believe, and will keep fighting for this tournament.”

Monaco resident Raonic is coming off a very successful March, which saw him reach the final in Indian Wells (l. to Djokovic) and the quarter-finals in Miami (l. to Kyrgios). The Canadian has reached the quarter-finals at the Monte-Carlo Country Club the past two years.

Dominic Thiem had to dig deep for a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff. The 12^th-seeded Austrian was the form player on clay in February, winning the title in Buenos Aires, where he beat Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, and reaching the semi-finals in Rio de Janeiro (l. to Pella).

France’s Benoit Paire saved one match point as he battled past Inigo Cervantes 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(6). The 16^th seed was on the brink of defeat as he served at 5-6, 30/40 in the deciding set, but rallied to go on and win in the eventual tie-break. “I was able to stay in the match and fight back and pull it out,” Paire said. “This victory is extremely good for me and it’s good for my mental attitude.”

Paire was joined in the second round by Lucas Pouille, who won an all-French contest with Nicolas Mahut, 7-6(1), 6-3. Wild card Pouille set a second-round clash with Richard Gasquet after claiming his sixth win of the season. The 22 year old is coming off a fourth-round showing in Miami (l. to Simon).

Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils made the home fans happy on Monday at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters as both scored first-round wins with bagel second sets.

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The ninth-seeded Gasquet defeated Spain’s Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-0 in 69 minutes. The Frenchman twice squandered a break advantage in the first set, but from 4-4, reeled off the final eight games of the match to win the pair’s seventh meeting and record his fourth win in a row over Almagro.

The 29-year-old Gasquet was forced to delay his start to the year due to a back injury, but returned to action with victory in Montpellier (d. Mathieu) in February. Gasquet made his mark at the Monte-Carlo Country Club 11 years ago, when he stunned Roger Federer in the quarter-finals before losing a close semi-final to Rafael Nadal.

Monfils recorded a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Gilles Muller in just over an hour, rallying from a 2-5 deficit in the first set to go on a tear of 11 straight games. The 29 year old is coming off successive quarter-final showings at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells (l. to Raonic) and Miami (l. to Nishikori) and claimed his 16th win of the season as he converted all five of his break points.

“It was just a break down, 5-2, one break on clay. Of course, on hard courts it would have been more complicated. But on clay… He made two double-faults,” said Monfils, who defeated Roger Federer en route to the semi-finals here last year (l. to Berdych).

“So during that first set I didn’t return well, but I was able to improve. I believe I played quite well. Little by little I was able to get used to the court and I was able to play a bit higher, not always deep enough, but I was able to find the right angles to make him move. He was not running too well on clay, I thought.

“I played a solid match. It was not a great match, but it was a solid game.”

There was more French cheer as qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert set a second-round clash with No. 2 seed Andy Murray after beating Guido Pella 6-3, 6-4. It was the 25-year-old Herbert’s first clay-court win at tour level.