One year ago J.J. Wolf arrived in Houston as the No. 157 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. This edition he is the fifth seed and showed why on Tuesday.

Wolf cruised past Australian Jordan Thompson 6-3, 6-2 in 74 minutes to reach the second round of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. 

“First clay-court tournament for me of the year, so I was really excited,” Wolf said. “Just trying to kind of be patient and play some good clay-court tennis. Holding serve was big for me today.”

The American did not face a break point and lost just four first-serve points (22/26) to move past Thompson. Wolf, who enjoys the atmosphere in Houston, will next play countryman Denis Kudla. 

“There’s no place like it. It’s so much fun playing here, it’s such a nice club,” Wolf said. “The people are awesome, the fans are awesome, everybody within the tournament is awesome as well.”

Cristian Garin, the 2019 Houston champion, made a good start to his tournament with a 6-3, 6-0 win against Bolivian Hugo Dellien. The Chilean is now 9-1 at River Oaks Country Club. 

Roberto Carballes Baena earned his highest-ranked win of the season Tuesday in Marrakech.

The Spaniard rallied from a set down to defeat World No. 38 Maxime Cressy 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-1 in the opening round of the Grand Prix Hassan II.

Carballes Baena, who was a quarter-finalist last year in Marrakech, held his ground while converting five of his 13 break points. Serve-and-volleyer Cressy, seeded fifth, stayed bold on his second delivery, but ended with 20 double faults to his nine aces.

The 30-year-old Carballes Baena will next meet Bulgarian qualifier Dimitar Kuzmanov, who beat Hugo Grenier 6-3, 6-4. Kuzmanov, 29, defeated the Frenchman in qualifying Monday before Grenier got in the main draw as a lucky loser.

In other action at the ATP 250, Italian Andrea Vavassori survived Santiago champion Nicolas Jarry 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Frenchman Alexandre Muller defeated countryman and sixth seed Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-4.

Elias Ymer eliminated Moroccan wild card Adam Moundir 6-4, 7-6(6) to set a second-round meeting against fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor. Pavel Kotov also advanced Tuesday when he escaped Pedro Martinez in a third-set tie-break, moving on with a 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(5) victory.

In the evening, seventh seed Benjamin Bonzi held a 6-3 lead on lucky loser Alexey Vatutin when play was suspended due to rain.

Nominations for the Tom Perrotta Prize For Tennis Journalism are now open, with the award presented to a writer under the age of 35 for excellence in tennis journalism.

The annual award commemorates the life and journalism of Tom Perrotta, who provided a large contribution to tennis journalism prior to his untimely death at the age of 45.

The prize includes a $2,000 cash award and will be presented in New York City during the US Open. Applications should include a brief CV and two recent examples of the applicant’s published work. Examples can be in any language but articles should be translated into English before submitting.

Submissions should be forwarded to [email protected] before midnight (EST) 14 May 2023.

ATP, WTA, ITF and The International Tennis Writers Association co-sponsor the award.

The world’s brightest stars make their way to the 2023 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, which is the first of three clay-court ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. 

Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic is back in action with hopes of claiming a third Monte-Carlo crown. Miami titlist Daniil Medvedev is ready to pursue clay-court glory and Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas is aiming for his third consecutive title at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. 

Here’s what you need to know: 

When is the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters?

The 2023 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters will be held from 9-16 April at the Monte-Carlo Country Club in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The tournament director is David Massey.

Who is playing at the 2023 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters?

The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters will feature stars such as Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has won the past two editions.

When is the draw for the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters?

The Monte-Carlo draw will be made on Friday 7 April at 5 p.m. local time.

What is the schedule for the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters?

* Qualifying: Saturday, 8 April – Sunday, 9 April at 11:00 a.m. local time
* Main Draw: Sunday, 9 April – Friday, 14 April at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, 15 April at 11:30 a.m.
* Doubles Final: Sunday, 16 April at Noon.
* Singles Final: Sunday, 16 April at 2:30 p.m.
* View On Official Website

What is the prize money for the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters?

The prize money for the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters is €5,779,335 and the Total Financial Commitment is €6,228,295.

SINGLES
Winner: €892,590 / 1,000 points
Finalist: €487,420 / 600 points
Semi-finalist: €266,530/ 360 points
Quarter-finalist: €145,380 / 180 points
Round of 16: €77,760 / 90 points
Round of 32: €41,700 / 45 points
Round of 64: €23,100 / 10 points

DOUBLES ($ per team)
Winner: €282,870 / 1,000 points
Finalist: €152,140/ 600 points
Semi-finalist: €81,140 / 360 points
Quarter-finalist: €41,140 / 180 points
Round of 16: €21,980 / 90 points
Round of 32: €11,830 / 0 points

How can I watch the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters?

Watch Live On Tennis TV
TV Schedule

How can I follow the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters?

Hashtag: #rolexmcmasters
Facebook: @rolexmcmasters
Twitter: @ROLEXMCMASTERS
Instagram: @rolexmontecarlomasters
 

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Who won the last edition of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in 2022?

Stefanos Tsitsipas won the 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters singles title with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the championship match. (Read & Watch). Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury lifted the doubles trophy in Monte-Carlo with a 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 triumph against Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the final (Read More).

Who holds the Monte-Carlo record for most titles, oldest champion, youngest champion and more?

Most Titles, Singles: Rafael Nadal (11)
Most Titles, Doubles: Mike Bryan, (6)
Oldest Champion: Nicola Pietrangeli, 34, in 1968
Youngest Champion: Mats Wilander, 18, in 1983
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Bjorn Borg in 1979-80, Ivan Lendl in 1988, Rafael Nadal in 2009, 2011, 2018, Novak Djokovic in 2013, 2015
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 49 Andrew Pattison in 1974
Last Home Champion: None
Most Match Wins: Rafael Nadal (73)

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Arriving at the Millennium Estoril Open without a win since mid-February, Dominic Thiem showcased all of his resilience to battle to first-round victory on Tuesday at the clay-court ATP 250 in Portugal.

Thiem defeated his fellow Austrian Sebastian Ofner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to clinch his first triumph in five tour-level events. The 29-year-old made a shaky start but broke his No. 122-ranked opponent twice in each of the second and third sets to prevail in a two-hour, five-minute encounter and set a second-round showdown against #NextGenATP American Ben Shelton.

The World No. 111 Thiem converted five of 16 break points he earned against Ofner, which proved enough to close out victory and improve his ATP Head2Head series lead against his countryman to 3-0. Some flashes of trademark brilliance, particularly off his backhand win, helped engineer the turnaround.

Thiem holds a 2-8 record for the year after Tuesday’s win, which he will hope is the catalyst for improved results. The Austrian, who reached the Roland Garros final in 2018 and 2019, has historically excelled on clay. He has won 10 of his 17 tour-level crowns on the surface.

Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew from the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Tuesday due to injury.

Nadal is an 11-time champion in the Principality, where he has earned a 73-6 record. The Spaniard wrote on Instagram Stories that he is not ready to compete for the first time since the Australian Open, where he suffered a grade 2 injury in the iliopsoas muscle of his left leg. 

“Unfortunately I am still not ready to compete and will miss one of those special tournaments I always love to play,” Nadal wrote. “Monte Carlo is and has been a key event on my career, but unfortunately I will have to miss it again since I am still not ready to compete without the risk of getting injured. I will continue the long process of getting ready to come back.”

 

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Alcaraz, who is 18-2 on the season and fresh off a title at Indian Wells and semi-final showing in Miami, revealed two things that will keep him out of the season’s first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event.

“After two months abroad, I am happy to return home but sad because I finished my last match in Miami with physical discomfort. After visiting my doctor @drlopezmartinez in Murcia today and being evaluated, I will not be able to go to Monte Carlo to start the clay court tour,” Alcaraz wrote on Twitter. “I have post-traumatic arthritis in my left hand and muscular discomfort in the spine that needs rest to prepare for everything that is to come. See you in 2024 @ROLEXMCMASTERS!”

After two months abroad, I am happy to return home but sad because I finished my last match in Miami with physical discomfort. After visiting my doctor @drlopezmartinez in Murcia today and being evaluated, I will not be able to go to Monte Carlo to start the clay court tour. pic.twitter.com/UsJzejm1WC

— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) April 4, 2023

Auger-Aliassime, who reached the quarter-finals at Indian Wells and the third round in Miami, has a left knee injury.

“Unfortunately I have to announce my retirement from the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters this year. It is an event that I look forward to each year,” Auger-Aliassime wrote on Twitter. “However, I have been struggling with my left knee for the past few weeks and decided it was the smartest decision to take some time off so I’m able to fully heal and recover before my next tournament at the Mutua Madrid Open. Thank you as always for your support and I look forward too seeing you back on court soon.”

Update 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/GwEKNU2VgB

— Félix AugerAliassime (@felixtennis) April 4, 2023

Ben Shelton added to his season of firsts in confident style on Tuesday at the Millennium Estoril Open, where the #NextGenATP American prevailed 7-5, 7-5 against Constant Lestienne in his first professional singles match on red clay.

Until he competed in a first-round doubles match on Monday at the clay-court ATP 250, Shelton represented a rare case of a Top 40 singles player who had never competed professionally on the surface. The World No. 39 played two ITF World Tennis Tour events on green clay in 2021 but had previously only competed on hard courts on the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour.

Despite falling to defeat in that doubles match alongside his former University of Florida Gators teammate Duarte Vale, Shelton showed few nerves upon returning a day later for his first-round singles match. The eighth seed took down the World No. 63 Lestienne in 95 minutes in Portugal.

The American earned decisive breaks of Lestienne’s serve in the 11th game of both sets to improve to 7-6 for the year. The tall lefty’s serve proved crucial to the win, with Shelton’s ability to give extra kick to his delivery a major factor in him winning 83 per cent (35/42) of points behind his first serve.

Shelton reached the quarter-finals at January’s Australian Open, during his first trip leaving the United States. His trip to Portugal represents his first time in Europe, and the 20-year-old acknowledged he was relishing another new experience in his whirlwind introduction to life on the ATP Tour.

“I’m really happy to be here in Portugal,” said Shelton in his on-court interview. “I want to thank the whole crowd for their support today. I was hearing the chants. I’m really enjoying my time here, so hopefully I can keep it going.”

Shelton will face former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem in his second-round match in Estoril. The 17-time tour-level titlist Thiem beat his fellow Austrian Sebastian Ofner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 later on Tuesday.

Sixth seed Miomir Kecmanovic also prevailed in straight sets on Tuesday. The Serbian eased past Luca Nardi 6-4, 6-1 on his Estoril debut, converting five of 11 break points he earned en route to his ninth tour-level victory of the year.

Kecmanovic will take on 2021 champion Albert Ramos-Vinolas or Jurij Rodionov in the second round, where Hubert Hurkacz will meet Bernabe Zapata Miralles. Spain’s Zapata Miralles booked a clash against the second-seeded Hurkacz with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Portuguese qualifier Henrique Rocha.

Jason Kubler hit with Fernando Verdasco when he was 14 years old. On Monday, they met in ATP Tour action for the first time.

The Australian Kubler defeated the former Top 10 star Verdasco 7-6(7), 6-0 to reach the second round of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.

“It was an honour to play Fernando. I’ve looked up to him for a long time,” Kubler said. “I remember when I was 14 and I got to hit with him in my hometown. Ever since then I’ve sort of followed his career because I felt like you actually made contact with one of the stars you watch on TV.”

Verdasco, who lifted the Houston trophy in 2014, earned an early break of serve. But Kubler battled back and once he won the first-set tie-break, he was able to surge ahead.

“The match was super close [in the] first set. It was both of our first matches on clay for the year so it’s always going to be a little bit tricky,” Kubler said. “I was trying to find my feet out there, maybe made a few errors where I was a bit surprised myself. But happy with how the second set went. Hopefully it’s going to be a long tournament, so getting sets like that is good.”

The Australian will next play Daniel Elahi Galan, who eliminated Zhang Zhizhen 6-2, 6-3.

In other action Dutchman Gijs Brouwer, a Houston native, ousted American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-4. Another American, Denis Kudla clawed past Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Holger Rune and Patrick Mouratoglou announced Monday that they ended their full-time collaboration.

“Thank you so much for your help to the team, Patrick🙏🏽 It’s been great learning for me on many levels on and off court and a lot of good energy😀,” Rune wrote on Instagram. “I will take all your advice with me onwards 🦾See you soon at the academy.”

 

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Last October, Rune announced Mouratoglou, who has coached stars including Serena Williams, would join his team for the rest of the season. The Dane went on to triumph in Stockholm and claim his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Paris. Mouratoglou shared his own post on social media Monday.

“Holger! We’ve successfully completed our mission and ended up having an incredible 6-month adventure, exceeding our original plan of 3 months,” Mouratoglou wrote. “It was a pleasure to share this journey with you. Your energy and enthusiasm made it even more special.

“I have no doubt that your bright future holds amazing things. I remain your biggest fan and I keep an eye on you with the @mouratoglou_tennis_academy team.”

 

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