The first quarter of the 2023 ATP Tour season marked breakthrough runs, career-best wins and titles on the ATP Challenger Tour for many #NextGenATP stars.

American Ben Shelton advanced to the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, while Frenchman Arthur Fils reached tour-level semi-finals in Montpellier and Marseille, respectively. Swiss lefty Dominic Stricker and Frenchmen Luca Van Assche and Arthur Cazaux have tasted success, lifting trophies at ATP Challenger Tour events.

ATPTour.com looks at some of the most notable #NextGenATP accomplishments of the year so far.

View Latest Next Gen Race Standings

Shelton’s Stunning Start
American Shelton has enjoyed a standout start to the season, rising from No. 96 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings to a current career-high No. 39 following a series of impressive results.

The 20-year-old ended 2022 by winning three consecutive ATP Challenger Tour titles and carried his red-hot form into 2023 when he arrived in Australia and New Zealand. Shelton defeated Sebastian Baez to earn his first tour-level win of the season in Auckland before he made waves at the Australian Open. The talented lefty advanced to the quarter-finals on debut in Melbourne, defeating Zhang Zhizhen, Nicolas Jarry, Alexei Popyrin and J.J. Wolf.

“I definitely exceeded my expectations this week, what I thought I could do on the court — not just tennis-wise but physically being able to get through as many three-out-of-five-set matches as I did,” Shelton reflected after his quarter-final loss against Tommy Paul. “I mean, I’ve only played one before in my career. I was pretty pleased with myself in that aspect as well.”

Shelton then returned to home soil and continued to impress, defeating Fabio Fognini in the first round in Indian Wells to earn the third ATP Masters 1000 match win of his career.

Shelton Shining, Trying To Make Mark On First Trip Out Of The United States
‘Amazing’ 17-Year-Old Shang Taking Australian Open By Storm
Five Things To Know About #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils

Frenchmen On The Charge
Fils arrived at the ATP 250 event in Montpellier in February having never won a tour-level match. Fast forward two weeks and the 18-year-old had earned five victories on Tour. Fils showcased his powerful game to the French crowd with victories against Richard Gasquet and Roberto Bautista Agut in Montpellier, before he downed former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka en route to the semi-finals in Marseille.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Fils after defeating the Swiss star. “I was watching him [Wawrinka] play during all my young career. I was hitting in Bercy with him as a sparring partner, and now I beat him. It’s a long way, a long way for my coach and my family, but it’s not over yet and I want to enjoy more. My progress is] fast, but I can be faster, so I will try to be.”

Van Assche and Cazaux also made their mark, rising to fifth and sixth respectively in the Pepperstone ATP Next Gen Race. The 18-year-old Van Assche won the second ATP Challenger Tour title of his career in France, while the 20-year-old Cazaux triumphed at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Thailand.

Stricker & Michelsen In Early Contention
The 20-year-old lefty Stricker reached the semi-finals at the Next Gen ATP Finals in 2022 and has made a strong start to 2023 as he aims to compete at the 21-and-under event again. The Swiss has had success on the ATP Challenger Tour this year, winning a trophy in Italy before advancing to the semi-finals at an event in Switzerland.

American Alex Michelsen began the year outside the Top 600 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, but reached a career-high No. 306 in March after winning one ITF World Tour event and reaching the semi-finals at an ATP Challenger Tour tournament in North America.

Others To Watch
Chinese star Shang Juncheng, who is the son of two professional athletes, made a roaring start to the season when he came through qualifying to reach the second round at the Australian Open.

The 18-year-old is coached by Dante Bottini, who first laid eyes on the World No. 181 when he was 15 years old.

“Very nice. Amazing player,” Bottini told ATPTour.com when explaining his first memories of Shang. “I mean obviously he was very young, but I already could tell that he had great potential.”

The 21-year-old Swiss Leandro Riedi rounds out the Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Next Gen Race. He reached the second round in Marseille in February, falling to Hubert Hurakcaz in three sets.

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.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Rafa Nadal (@rafaelnadal)

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.