Stefanos Tsitsipas and Petros Tsitsipas won a first-round thriller at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Monday when they clawed past Grigor Dimitrov and Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 10-5 in the Principality.

The Greek brothers converted both break points they faced, before they raised their level in the Match Tie-break to earn their second win of the season as a team after one hour and 50 minutes.

They will next face Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer, who have enjoyed success as a team on clay, triumphing at Roland Garros last season.

Singles stars Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune advanced, moving past Italians Simone Bolelli and Lorenzo Musetti to set a second-round meeting against fourth seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.

Andreas Mies and Fabrice Martin saved two match points en route to a 6-3, 4-6, 11-9 victory against Francisco Cerundolo and Daniel Evans, while Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden edged Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez 3-6, 6-3, 10-8.

Did You Know?
Stefanos Tsitsipas has won back-to-back singles titles at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki enjoyed a dream week at the Barletta Challenger, where he became the fourth teenage ATP Challenger Tour champion this season.

The 19-year-old, who won the 2019 Wimbledon boys’ singles title, downed Santiago Rodriguez Taverna 6-1, 6-4 in Sunday’s final to win the Open Citta della Disfida.

Mochizuki’s maiden Challenger trophy comes as a great reward to him and his new coach, former World No. 42 Davide Sanguinetti.

“He’s been helping me the last couple months,” Mochizuki said of the Italian. “It’s been really good. I’m getting a lot of confidence in my game as well. I think how he played when he was playing and how I play is a little bit similar. So I think we are a good match.”

Mochizuki’s semi-final against Franco Agamenone was delayed to Sunday, due to rain, with the Japanese player leading 6-4, 5-7, 3-0. After applying the finishing touches on the Italian, whom Mochizuki beat 6-2 in the decider, the Kawasaki-native returned to court to play his first Challenger final.

Now at a career-high No. 216 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, Mochizuki joins Arthur Fils, Luca Van Assche, and Hamad Medjedovic as teenage Challenger champions in 2023.

Shintaro Mochizuki is crowned champion at the 2023 Barletta Challenger. Credit: Open Citta della Disfida

A longtime fan of Roger Federer, Mochizuki was once the Swiss’ hitting partner at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals after the 20-time major champion caught eye of the Japanese’s junior Wimbledon title that year.

“He’s my hero,” Mochizuki said of Federer in March 2021. “At the [2019] Nitto ATP Finals, I was there as a hitting partner and I got to hit with him. It was a dream. In tennis he hits so easy, just relaxed when he’s playing.

“Many people are just playing with the power and emotions, but he’s just hitting balls so easy. He taught me that if you have any chances to play bigger events, just go for it.”

In other Challenger Tour action, Matteo Arnaldi captured his second Challenger title of the season at the Costa Calida Region de Murcia in Spain, where the 22-year-old dropped just one set all week. In the championship match, the Italian defeated Borna Gojo 6-4, 7-6(4).

Arnaldi, who won the Tenerife-2 Challenger in February, competed at the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals as an alternate, but suffered a round-robin exit.

At a career-high No. 102 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, Arnaldi now sets his sights on cracking the Top 100 for the first time.

Much like Arnaldi, the Murcia Challenger finalist Gojo is eyeing a Top 100 debut. The Croatian, who also reached the Monterrey Challenger final (l. Borges) in February, is at a career-high No. 108 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Chilean Tomas Barrios Vera earned his second Challenger title and first since August 2021 by claiming the San Luis Open. The 25-year-old ousted Dominik Koepfer 7-6(6), 7-5 to win on the clay courts of San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Tomas Barrios Vera celebrates winning the San Luis Potosi Challenger. Credit: San Luis Open

Despite falling to Koepfer in the second round of last week’s Mexico City Challenger, where the German went on to triumph, the third seed Barrios Vera avenged his loss to the 28-year-old, improving to 13-6 at the Challenger level this year.

Earlier this season, Barrios Vera reached his maiden tour-level quarter-final in Cordoba before falling to eventual champion Sebastian Baez.

Alex de Minaur made an emphatic start to his clay-court season Monday, when he cruised past former World No. 1 Andy Murray 6-1, 6-3 to reach the second round at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

Making his third appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 event, the Australian outmanoeuvred Murray on the clay in Monaco, pulling the Scot from corner to corner to triumph after 87 minutes.

With his 13th tour-level win of the season, De Minaur has improved to 3-0 in his ATP Head2Head series against Murray, who was making his first appearance in the Principality since 2017.

The 14th seed De Minaur, whose best result at an ATP Masters 1000 event was a fourth-round run last year in Indian Wells, will next play Jan-Lennard Struff. The German moved past Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-4, 6-3.

Murray, who is 8-6 on the year, was making his 10th appearance in Monte-Carlo. The 35-year-old advanced to the semi-finals at the event in 2009, 2011 and 2016.

Former champion Stan Wawrinka is up and running at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The Swiss star earned a comeback victory against Tallon Griekspoor on Monday, when he overcame the Dutchman 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round.

Competing in front of a packed crowd on Court Rainier III, the 38-year-old Wawrinka rolled back the years to earn his 22nd win at the ATP Masters 1000 event. The former World No. 3 struck 35 winners and sealed victory on his sixth match point to advance after two hours and 25 minutes.

“It was really important to stay calm with myself,” Wawrinka said. “In the first round you need to find your game. The first match on clay is never easy against a good player. I am happy to get through. It was important to fight until the end.”

Wawrinka, who won the title in the Principality in 2014, levelled his ATP Head2Head series against Griekspoor at 1-1. The wild card will next play eighth-seeded American Taylor Fritz.

“He is an amazing player,” Wawrinka said on Fritz. “He is Top 10, been winning a lot of matches. Winning a lot of tournaments. He is very dangerous on many surfaces.”

Wawrinka arrived in Monte-Carlo off the back of a run to the fourth round in Indian Wells, where he earned victory against Top 10 star Holger Rune. Wawrinka has lifted seven of his 16 tour-level trophies on clay, including Roland Garros in 2015.

In other action, Francisco Cerundolo overcame World no. 14 Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 to earn the seventh Top 20 win of his career.

The Argentine won 90 per cent (26/29) of his first-serve points and struck 24 winners to advance after 72 minutes, levelling his ATP Head2Head series against Norrie at 1-1. The 24-year-old will next play Matteo Berrettini or Maxime Cressy.

Cerundolo, who lifted his only tour-level title on clay in Bastad last season, arrived in Monte-Carlo off the back of a run to the quarter-finals in Miami, where he beat Top 10 star Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Italian Matteo Berrettini moved past Maxime Cressy 6-4, 6-2 to snap a three-match losing streak. The 26-year-old has struggled to find his best level this season and will be hoping he can kickstart his season with a deep run in his third appearance in the Principality.

The World No. 22, who saved both break points he faced against Cressy, will next meet Cerundolo.

“It has been a tough start to the year for many reasons. But I am back and I am fighting and playing tennis at a beautiful tournament,” Berrettini said. “I am really happy with the win and thought the level was high.”

Jack Draper made a winning start on debut at the ATP Masters 1000 event, moving past Argentine Sebastian Baez 6-3, 7-5. The 21-year-old lefty, who enjoyed a run to the semi-finals in Adelaide earlier this year will next face 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz.

A three-tournament week on the ATP Tour saw Frances Tiafoe, Casper Ruud and Roberto Carballes Baena win titles in Houston, Estoril and Marrakech, respectively.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week as of Monday, 10 April 2023.

View Pepperstone ATP Rankings

No. 11 Frances Tiafoe, +4 (Career High)
The American has climbed four spots to a career-high No. 11 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after winning his second tour-level title at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. Following rain in Houston, Tiafoe completed the entirety of his Houston run in two days. He won two matches on Saturday before repeating the feat on Sunday, defeating Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the final. Read Houston Final Report & Watch Highlights.

No. 4 Casper Ruud, +1
The Norwegian has jumped one spot after winning his first tour-level title of the season and the 10th of his career at the Millennium Estoril Open. The 24-year-old arrived at the clay-court ATP 250 holding a 5-6 record on the season. However, he produced a series of resilient performances to earn a confidence-boosting title. Read Estoril Final Report & Watch Highlights.

No. 49 Roberto Carballes Baena, +33 (Career High)
The 30-year-old has cracked the Top 50 for the first time after he won his second tour-level title at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech. The Spaniard won four three-set matches en route to the title, defeating seeded opponents Maxime Cressy, Tallon Griekspoor and Daniel Evans. He then clawed past Alexandre Muller in the final. Read Marrakech Final Report & Watch Highlights.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 34 Miomir Kecmanovic, +6
No. 46 J.J. Wolf, +8
No. 59 Tomas Martin Etcheverry, +14 (Career High)
No. 66 Quentin Halys, +14
No. 81 Marco Cecchinato, +15
No. 96 Alexandre Muller, +30 (Career High)

Frances Tiafoe has become a bona fide star on the ATP Tour with his performances over the past year, and the American now has his second tour-level title to underline his undeniable progress.

The fan favourite showed style and substance in his 7-6(1), 7-6(6) victory against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in Sunday’s final at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship to return to the winner’s circle for the first time since his maiden trophy run in 2018 at Delray Beach.

Addressing his Argentine opponent during the trophy ceremony, Tiafoe said: “I don’t know you that well, but I know you real well after today. It was an absolute war and an unbelievable final. I hope you guys [in the crowd] all enjoyed it, because that’s what it’s about.

“My second title, here in Houston on U.S. soil, so thank you!” he continued, sharing that his girlfriend, Canadian tennis player Ayan Broomfield, surprised him by showing up in the stands for the title match.

The top seed at an event for the first time in his career, Tiafoe completed the entirety of his Houston run in two days after persistent rain delayed play for three days during the week. After winning two matches on Saturday, the 25-year-old repeated the feat on Sunday with a semi-final win against Gijs Brouwer before his final victory.

Tiafoe did not lose a set en route to the title at the ATP 250 and dropped serve only once at the event, when a few nervy misses prevented him from serving out the final at 5-4 in the second set. His trophy run will lift him four places to a new career high of No. 11 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday.

Tiafoe thrilled the Houston crowd with spectacular shotmaking throughout the one-hour, 53-minute championship match, producing some of his best points at the most crucial moments.

After the opening set passed by without a break point, Tiafoe broke open the tie-break with a running backhand passing shot that gave him a 5/1 lead. In set two, after aggressive returning brought him to 0/40 at 2-2, the American hit the shot of the match to secure his first and only break — a half-volley from the baseline that left Etcheverry stranded and stunned.

Tiafoe was in attack mode from first ball to last on the red clay, his power tennis matched only by his stylish flair. While his level briefly dipped late in the second set, the American regrouped from 1/3 and 3/5 down in the second-set tie-break, winning lengthy rallies at 5/5 and 6/6 before clinching victory on his second match point with his 12th ace of the match.

His title breakthrough comes after four straight final defeats from 2018-22, including two last season in Estoril and Tokyo. Tiafoe also made waves on the Grand Slam stage last season by reaching the US Open semi-finals.

Argentina’s Etcheverry was seeking his first ATP Tour title after losing the Santiago final to Nicolas Jarry earlier this season. He will also reach a new career high in Monday’s Pepperstone ATP Rankings, which will see him move up 14 places to No. 59.

Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson dropped their first set at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Clay Court Championship in Sunday’s final, but the Aussies regrouped after a wild opener to claim their first title as a team.

The Aussies defeated third-seeded Britons Julian Cash and Henry Patten 4-6, 6-4, 10-5 in what was their first doubles final as a team, claiming victory at the Houston ATP 250 with their third match win in two days. The teams traded seven breaks of serve in the first set, but Purcell/Thompson did not drop serve in the second, saving the only break point they faced. They never trailed in the Match Tie-break and capped their comeback by winning the final three points of the match.

Now boasting a 7-1 tour-level record, the team that sent Australia to the 2022 Davis Cup Finals championship round with a win against Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic are champions on the ATP Tour. It is a third title for the 25-year-old Purcell, who won the Houston crown and the Wimbledon trophy with countryman Matthew Ebden last season, and a second for the 28-year-old Thompson, who won the 2017 Brisbane title with Thanasi Kokkinakis. Purcell is also a two-time Australian Open finalist (2020 with Luke Saville, 2022 with Ebden).

Britons Cash and Patten, who won a record 10 ATP Challenger Tour titles together last season, fell in their first ATP Tour final. Their run backed up a semi-final showing earlier this season in Pune, and their three wins in Houston moved them up eight places to 26th place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen captured their second title of the season on Sunday when they defeated Serbians Nikola Cacic and Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-4 in the Millennium Estoril Open final.

The fourth seeds lost their first set of the tournament in the first round, but rallied to win that match and never looked back. They did not lose a set the rest of the week.

Gille and Vliegen, a longtime duo, have now lifted seven ATP Tour trophies together and are 7-2 in finals as a team. They also triumphed in Pune to begin their 2023 season.

In the semi-finals, the Belgians eliminated defending champions and home favourites Francisco Cabral and Nuno Borges in two tie-breaks. In the final, Gille and Vliegen combined for 10 aces and saved two of the three break points they faced.

Cacic and Kecmanovic were trying to win their first title as a team. Kecmanovic also reached the singles final, in which he fell to Casper Ruud.

Due to a rain-soaked week in Houston, Frances Tiafoe has needed to win three matches between Saturday and Sunday to reach the final. The American has done just that, eliminating Dutchman Gijs Brouwer 6-4, 6-1 Sunday afternoon to move into the championship clash at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.

“I feel good, I feel good. I’m running on adrenaline,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. “I’ve got this crowd behind me and I’m on a mission, so I’m happy.”

Competing as the top seed at an ATP Tour event for the first time, Tiafoe is now one victory from claiming his second tour-level crown and his first since 2018 in Delray Beach.

Tiafoe will play Tomas Martin Etcheverry not before 7 p.m. local time. The Argentine is pursuing his first ATP Tour trophy.

“Just trying to get a win. Whoever I play… they’re both great players,” Tiafoe said. “I’m just going to rest, I’m going to kick my feet up and I’ll see you guys at 7.”

There were few complications for Tiafoe against the Houston-born Brouwer. The American did not face a break point in his 59-minute triumph.

Etcheverry also made the final with a straight-sets victory when he ousted German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 6-4. The 23-year-old entered the season without a tour-level quarter-final to his name. With his win against Hanfmann, Etcheverry has now made two finals, in Santiago and Houston. 

The Argentine is up to No. 59 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. His career-high entering the week was World No. 61. Etcheverry has spent seven hours and 47 minutes on court for four matches this week compared to three hours and 43 minutes for Tiafoe in three matches.

Did You Know?
Tiafoe will climb to a new career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of at least No. 12 on Monday. If the home favourite wins the title, he will ascend to No. 11.