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.

In a first-round contest between two #NextGen 18-year-old stars, Alexander Zverev defeated Andrey Rublev 6-1, 6-3 on Monday at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.

World No. 54 Zverev made his Monte-Carlo debut in style, advancing in one hour as he won 75 per cent of his service points and broke No. 157-ranked Rublev four times. Zverev goes on to face seventh seed David Ferrer.

“We’ve known each other since we were 11 years old,” said Zverev of Rublev. “We’ve been playing for such a long time on different levels of the tour. Under-14 tournaments, ITF tournaments and now this is the first time we played in a professional event. It’s nice to see how we both have grown really. So I think that was just the first one of many.”

Looking ahead to the clash with Ferrer, Zverev said, “It’s a great test for me. I think he’s one of the toughest competitors on clay. I think he’s been playing great on clay his whole career. He’s been a solid Top 10 player for 10 years now. It’s going to be a great match. I’m looking forward to it.”

Zverev has jumped 29 places in the Emirates ATP Rankings since the start of the year, thanks to compiling an 11-8 match record and strong showings in Montpellier, where he reached the semi-finals, and Indian Wells, where he held match point against Rafael Nadal in a thrilling fourth-round match.

Great Britain’s Aljaz Bedene scored his first win at the Monte-Carlo Country Club as he dismissed Lukas Rosol 6-2, 6-3 in just over one hour. The No. 60-ranked Bedene earned a second-round clash with eight-time champion Rafael Nadal.

“At the moment I’m enjoying playing tennis,” said Bedene. “It’s going to be against Rafa, who I respect. He’s one of the best clay-courters. It’s going to be fun. Definitely if I bring my best tennis, I’m not the favourite, but I can stand a chance.”

A pair of Spaniards advanced as Guillermo Garcia-Lopez defeated Thomaz Bellucci 7-5, 6-1 and 14th seed Roberto Bautista Agut beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-4, 7-6(4).

Watch your favourite players work on their games by taking in a live stream of one practice court at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.

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After Juan Monaco had wrist surgery in August, it took him six months to return to the ATP World Tour. It’s taken him only two months to return to hoisting trophies.

Monaco won his second Houston title on Sunday, overcoming his own late nerves and some early firepower from American Jack Sock to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 during the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship final.

The win gives Monaco nine career titles, including eight on clay and his first overall since May 2013 (Dusseldorf). He previously won Houston in 2012. “I didn’t expect this so fast,” Monaco said on court after the match. “No words to describe this moment.”

Sock was trying to win back-to-back titles for the first time, and the American breezed through the first set, winning 65 per cent of his service points to claim the opener in about 30 minutes. It was his 17th consecutive set won in Houston, dating back to his first-round match last year. But after the first set, Monaco received treatment on his lower back, and the injury timeout seemed to rattle Sock, who lost 10 of the next 14 games.

Down in the second set, Sock received treatment on his right arm. And when he fell behind 4-1 in the third, he received treatment on his right shoulder. But the American stormed back to win four consecutive games, erase a double-break deficit and lead the third set, 5-4. “I was playing a little more aggressive,” Sock said. “I think I got caught up in his style of tennis for a set and a half. He likes to just make a lot of balls, make the points long. I can do that but I’m more of an aggressive player.”

By the end of the match, though, Sock was struggling to walk. He was squatting in between points and visibly limping. Facing a break point at 5-all in the third, Sock double-faulted to give Monaco a final break. (In total, there were nine service breaks.) “I’m not sure exactly what happened with my body. Last night I didn’t feel great, was sweating even in a very air-conditioned room. So maybe coming down with something,” Sock said. “But it doesn’t take away from his battle and his fight today.”

Sock will receive 150 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $48,260.

Monaco was steady throughout the match, landing 83 per cent of his first serves and consistently putting balls in play. The Argentine broke Sock five times and limited the American to two aces.

The 32 year old will receive $91,630 in prize money and 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points. He’s expected to climb in the Emirates ATP Rankings from No. 148 to No. 90. He said after the match that he’s been a fighter for his entire career and will always plays until the last ball.

“Today was a quick movie of my life,” Monaco said.

Despite two early tournament exits last month, Andy Murray enters the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and the 2016 clay-court season expecting strong results on the surface.

Murray has grown more comfortable on clay through the years and especially during the past 12 months. The World No. 2 usually spends nine to 10 months exclusively on hard courts and, in past years, has struggled to transition to clay. But during the past 12 months, Murray has practiced and played on clay more than usual, including before and during the Davis Cup final last November.

“It wasn’t such a huge break I had away from the clay. I feel like I’ve been able to adjust a bit quicker because of that,” Murray said on Sunday during his pre-tournament press conference. “There’s no reason why I can’t have a good clay court season.”

His past success on the surface also boosts his expectations. Last year on clay, Murray won the BMW Open by FWU AG in Munich and the Mutua Madrid Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. The World No. 2 also made the semi-finals at Roland Garros before losing to Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 6-1. At the three events, Murray earned wins over Roberto Bautista Agut, Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori, Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer.

“Last year was definitely my best year on clay,” Murray said. “It was the first time I’ve had good wins on clay against the best players.”

This year, after a final showing at the Australian Open and two Davis Cup wins, Murray’s level has dipped. He lost in the third round in Indian Wells to World No. 53 Federico Delbonis 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3). In Miami, where Murray has a home and has won two titles, the Brit fell in the third round again, this time to Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-3.

“Obviously the last few weeks have been tough for me,” Murray said. “It’s very difficult to perform at the highest level every single week.”

There were positives from his early Miami loss. Murray stayed a few extra days and jump-started his transition to clay.

This week will mark Murray’s first Monte-Carlo appearance since 2013. In the past, he said, he’s skipped the event to feel more comfortable on clay before playing matches. Now that he’s feeling better on the surface, he hopes his Monte-Carlo results change as well. He’s made the semi-finals two times (2009, 2011) but lost to Rafael Nadal in both instances. In 2013, Murray fell to Stan Wawrinka in the third round.

This year, Murray, the No. 2 seed, receives a first-round bye and will play either qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France or Argentine Guido Pella.