Third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer survived an early scare Wednesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski also avoided an upset in their clay-season opener.

The El Salvadoran-Dutch duo of Arevalo and Rojer saved seven of eight break points faced to oust Stefanos Tsitsipas and Petros Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-7(5), 10-5 in the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Two-time titlists this season (Delray Beach, Adelaide-2), Arevalo and Rojer will next meet Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in the quarter-finals after the German pair cruised to a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden.

Arevalo and Rojer were semi-finalists in Monaco last season two months before claiming their maiden Grand Slam trophy at Roland Garros, which helped them qualify for the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals.

Koolhof and Skupski were on the brink of defeat Wednesday, but the Dutch-British duo fended off four match points in the Match Tie-break to survive the challenge of Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 6-7(5), 6-3, 14-12.

Seeking their first title of 2023, Koolhof and Skupski won 42 of 49 points off their first delivery to advance to the last eight, where they will clash against Fabrice Martin and Andreas Mies.

In first-round action, Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah downed Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-5, 6-7(2), 10-5. Wild cards Romain Arneodo and Sam Weissborn defeated Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-4.

After a strong clay campaign last season that saw him win his first ATP Tour title in Munich and reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros, Holger Rune is up and running on the terre battue in 2023.

The Dane picked up where he left off on the surface with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Dominic Thiem on Wednesday night at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

“It’s my first match back on clay so there were a few adjustments to make. But I’m all in all happy with how I handled the situation on court,” Rune said post-match, noting the importance of keeping good depth on his strokes. “Dominic already played a couple of matches [on clay]. He’s a dangerous player. He can hit winners from anywhere in the court so I had to be sharp, move well and play well.”

Making his third appearance in Monaco, Rune is through to the last 16 for the first time. He was beaten by Casper Ruud in each of the past two editions of the event, losing in the opening round of his 2021 debut and in the second round last season.

The 19-year-old will face Matteo Berrettini or Francisco Cerundolo on Thursday, seeking his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final and first since he won the Rolex Paris Masters last November.

Thiem played some of his best tennis of the season to beat Richard Gasquet in the Monte-Carlo first round, and he made a strong start against Rune with a love hold on Court Rainier III. But Rune’s Top 10 level was too much for the Austrian in what was a one-sided opening set beyond that.

The World No. 9 pinned Thiem deep behind the baseline with relentless attacking, his electric forehand doing most of the damage as he rattled off five straight games from 1-2 to seal the set. Rune won all 14 of his first-serve points in the opener and finished with an 80 per cent win rate (28/35) behind his first delivery.

While Thiem raised his level in set two, landing heavy baseline blows of his own off both wings, the sixth-seeded Rune did not face a break point until his bid to serve out the match at 5-4. Staring down 15/40, he found two big serves to force deuce before clinching victory on his third match point.

“Of course there were a few moments at the end where I think he had maybe too much time to play,” Rune assessed. “But I think all in all we played on my terms and I’m happy with how I controlled most of the match.”

Rune is up one place to No. 8 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, a mark that would match his career high in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings — though his position is still under threat by a chasing pack led by Jannik Sinner. The Dane would move past the injured Felix Auger-Aliassime (left knee) at No. 7 in the Live Rankings by reaching the semi-finals in Monaco.

Thiem was seeking his first Top 10 win on clay since defeating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the 2019 Roland Garros semis, and his first Top 10 win overall since beating the Serbian at the same stage of the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals. The defeat dropped him to 4-10 on the season, with his Estoril quarter-final run last week his best result of the year.

Taylor Fritz earned his 50th ATP Masters 1000 win on Wednesday when he overcame former champion Stan Wawrinka 7-6(10), 6-2 at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters to reach the third round.

In a tale of two sets, the American saved five set points in a mammoth opener to move ahead, before he stepped up his intensity and level in the second set to triumph after one hour and 39 minutes.

Fritz, who saved two set points on serve at 5-6 and three more in the first-set tie-break, struck 25 winners and committed just seven unforced errors to earn his 21st tour-level win of the season.

The eighth seed reached the quarter-finals in the Principality last year and will aim to match that feat when he takes on Jiri Lehecka after the Czech downed 2022 semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(4), 6-4.

Fritz arrives in Monte-Carlo off the back of a run to the quarter-finals in Miami. He lifted his maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy in Indian Wells in 2021.

Wawrinka was making his 13th appearance at the clay-court event, with his best result a run to the title in 2014.

A change of surface, but no change in Daniil Medvedev’s ability to dominate opponents.

The third seed made an electric start to his 2023 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters campaign on Wednesday by defeating the dangerous free-hitting Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-2.

Medvedev was dialled in from the start of his first clay-court match of the year. He moved into an early 3-0 lead with the help of some delightful early touches at the net and he stayed typically relentless from the baseline throughout to seal an 89-minute victory on Court Rainier III.

“Every match is a struggle [on clay], but I have had some good matches on clay,” said Medvedev. “I managed to play good against a very strong player on clay. Lorenzo is very strong. Here in Monte-Carlo there are a lot of Italians in the crowd, but a lot of French also, so it was fun to play, and I am happy to beat such a tough opponent.”

The World No. 45 Sonego has the weapons to hurt anyone on Tour on his day, but the wild card struggled to turn vocal support from the Italian fans in the crowd into consistency that could challenge Medvedev. The World No. 5 fended off the only break point he faced and won 90 per cent (27/30) of points behind his first serve to clinch his 25th win in his past 26 tour-level matches.

“It’s completely different on clay, but confidence is confidence,” said the 19-time tour-level titlist Medvedev. “It’s about winning matches, because it is always two players that play, and one is going to win… I hope to bring this confidence even further.”

Medvedev, who has lifted hard-court trophies in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai and Miami during his recent red-hot run, moves on to a third-round showdown against Alexander Zverev at the ATP Masters 1000 event. The 13th seed earlier eased past Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4. It will be the 14th tour-level clash between Medvedev and Zverev, but the first on clay.

“We’ve had some tough matches,” said Medvedev, who leads Zverev 7-6 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series. “We played for the first time maybe seven years ago on the ATP Tour, and in juniors maybe 12 years ago. I remember I beat him once in a final on clay in juniors, but it’s going to be a different story.

“I saw him in the first two matches, he seemed to be in good shape. I’m just going to have to be at my best.”

Another seeded player to notch a confident second-round win on Wednesday was Karen Khachanov. The ninth seed downed Ilya Ivashka 7-6(2), 6-2 to set a third-round showdown against fifth seed Andrey Rublev.

World No. 21 Lorenzo Musetti has become one of the game’s brightest young stars. A two-time tour-level titlist, the 21-year-old looks to earn one of the biggest wins of his career Thursday, when he meets 22-time major champion Novak Djokovic at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

ATPTour.com caught up with the Italian to discuss his life on Tour, his favourite travel destinations, and how he makes himself feel at home while on the road.

What are two essential non-tennis items you always pack for trips?
Probably headphones and a speaker. I’m pretty obsessed with the music, so I’d say those two things.

When you’re in your room or in the gym, you have music on all the time?
Yeah, with my playlist for sure.

What’s the number one song you listen to?
Depends on the period. I have a lot of playlists. It depends on the mood and when. Right now, I have some Italian songs.

Have you ever forgotten something on a trip that caused problems?
I have forgotten headphones on the plane. I remember it was in Canada so it was not easy. I tried to contact the airline but no lucky results. It was when I was playing juniors.

How much do you enjoy travelling?
It’s one of the nicest things we have in this sport and in our life. You cannot be a tennis player if you don’t like travelling, it would be some sort of opposite thing. For us, we travel the world to try to discover new places, new countries. For me it’s kind of fun and something I’ve always liked. That’s why also I play tennis.

Have you ever played a tournament because you wanted to see the city?
Honestly, no. I’ve had the opportunity to visit a lot of cities for tennis but I never choose one tournament for the city. I’d say it’s for the condition or for the tournament instead.

What’s been your favourite city on Tour and why?
Not including Italy, I would say I like New York a lot. The energy that the city gives you is something unreal. I always like to go to the US Open.

Is there a particular place in New York you like to visit?
Times Square is something you live like in a movie. It’s something really memorable, especially your first time there.

Where’s your favourite place to go for vacation?
Last year I went to Maldives and it was really, really nice. I’d probably say that.

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How much do you think of taking care of your body while travelling?
I try to be as professional as I can, especially when you don’t find something healthy. Especially with food when you go somewhere where you don’t know where to eat, where the meat comes from, you have to adapt yourself like everybody does.

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When you’re on the road, how do you make yourself feel at home?
Going to Italian restaurants. It’s probably the most common thing for my country.

Do you have any tips to get over jetlag?
No, just try to sleep as much as I can on the plane. Try to rest when you get there and plan the practice on the right hours.

Do you like to get to the airport with a lot of time or you don’t like to wait?
I’m the kind who doesn’t like to be late. I’d probably say get there with more time than less.

Jannik Sinner advanced to the third round at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday when Diego Schwartzman was forced to retire with a shoulder injury.

The Italian, who reached the quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo last year, produced a ruthless performance in his first clay-court appearance of the season. He overpowered the Argentine with his flat groundstrokes and committed just six unforced errors before Schwartzman was forced to retire with Sinner leading 6-0, 3-1 after 38 minutes.

“I could tell from the beggining he was struggling a lot,” Sinner said. “On the left side with the pain. I wish him the best and hopefully it is nothing serious.”

Sinner is competing at the Principality at a career-high No. 8 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after advancing to his second ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami earlier this month. The 21-year-old will next face 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz.

“I haven’t had loads of time to prepare, but I am happy to play here and play in front of Italian fans,” Sinner said. “Just enjoying every moment and trying my best and having a great attitude every time I step onto the court. I feel not so bad on clay.”

Schwartzman and Sinner were teaming as doubles partners this week. After winning their opening match, the Argentine-Italian pair lost in the second round against Fabrice Martin and Andreas Mies.

Casper Ruud did not have things all his own way on Wednesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, but he raised his level when needed to earn his fifth consecutive win.

The Norwegian saved one set point at 4-5, 30/40 in the second set and recovered from failing to serve out the match at 6-5 to eventually overcome Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 7-5, 7-6(1) at the clay-court event.

“It is never easy to start at a new tournament and against a player I have lost to before,” Ruud said. “Also more recently in Miami this year, which was a tough three-setter. I was a bit sloppy and didn’t take my chances. Sometimes it is a little tricky playing someone you recently lost to, like ‘Not again’, but in this case I was a bit happy because I felt like some unfinished business from the Miami match.”

Ruud, who reached the semi-finals in the Principality in 2021, is chasing his first ATP Masters 1000 crown this week. The fourth seed will play Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round after the German upset 14th-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-2.

After failing to win consecutive matches at any tour-level event at the start of 2023, Ruud enjoyed a confidence-boosting run to his ninth clay-court title in Estoril last week.

“It felt great last week in Estoril,” Ruud said. “It felt very comfortable. Today was at times a very good match, but at times a little rusty. There are a lot of positives to build on and I am very happy to be here in Monte-Carlo.”

The 24-year-old, currently No. 3 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, struggled to find consistency throughout the two-hour, 16-minute clash on Court Rainier III, dropping the ball short at times which allowed the Dutchman to attack. However, he held his nerve in the second-set tie-break, racing clear to improve to 2-3 in his ATP Head2Head series against Van de Zandschulp.

Daniil Medvedev has been on fire the past two months, winning titles in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai and Miami while also reaching the final at Indian Wells. The secret to his success has been simple.

Dominance in tennis is often thought of as controlling play with a particularly powerful stroke, like Rafael Nadal’s forehand or Stan Wawrinka’s backhand. But Medvedev, the first-placed player in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, has commanded the action in recent weeks by using another weapon: consistency.

According to statistics provided by Tennis Data Innovations, Medvedev has thrived not on power and spin, but by putting the ball between the lines over and over again. Medvedev has laid down a challenge to his opponents: I will not miss. What will you do to stop me?

During his past five tournaments, only Carlos Alcaraz in the BNP Paribas Open final has managed to break down the Medvedev wall. The 27-year-old has won 24 of his past 25 matches behind jaw-dropping consistency.

Forehands: Medvedev vs. The Field (2023 Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells & Miami)

Medvedev has made 88.4 per cent of his forehand groundstrokes (not including returns) compared to 85 per cent for the field at those five tournaments. A difference of 3.4 per cent might not seem like much, but it ultimately has proven critical.

Medvedev has missed an average of 11 forehands per match compared to nearly 16 for his opponents. Matches at the highest level often come down to a few key points, so every extra mistake counts.

Opponents have hit their forehands nearly one mile per hour harder than Medvedev (76.1mph to 75.2 mph) and with more spin (2,784 rpm to 2,467 rpm), but consistency has proven more important.

The gap has been even wider elsewhere. Medvedev made 92 per cent of his backhand groundstrokes at the aforementioned five tournaments compared to 85.9 per cent for the field, missing just 9.5 backhands per match (12.4 for opponents).

Backhands: Medvedev vs. The Field

Commentators and fans alike often discuss Medvedev’s deep return position. While some players step in to take a crack at second-serve returns, the World No. 5 remains well behind the baseline. The results have been inarguable.

Medvedev has missed an average of just two second-serve returns per match during his hot streak compared to 3.9 for the field. Not only has he rarely missed, but the 6’6” righty has also hit those shots significantly harder than opponents (75.2 mph to 71 mph).

Standing deep in the court allows Medvedev to take a bigger swing at the ball. Not only does he give himself more time to hit the ball harder, but he almost never misses those critical returns.

Second-Serve Returns: Medvedev vs. The Field

It has not been a case of Medvedev locking down against lesser opponents, either. In the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships against Top 10 star Andrey Rublev, Medvedev made an astonishing 100 per cent of his backhand groundstrokes (not including returns) and 100 per cent of his second-serve returns.

Rublev is one of the biggest ball-strikers on the ATP Tour, especially on the forehand side. Medvedev kept his cool and put up his defensive wall. It was not a small sample size. Medvedev made all 61 of his backhand groundstrokes in that match according to the data.

In the Miami Open presented by Itau final against Jannik Sinner, another of the Tour’s biggest hitters, Medvedev made 88 per cent of his forehand groundstrokes, 94 per cent of his backhand groundstrokes and 92.6 per cent of his second-serve returns.

Medvedev’s magic has not been in the sizzle of flashy winners — and he has hit his fair share of those — but in his consistency. Will he be able to maintain that during the clay-court season, starting this week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters? The third seed will certainly try.

“You can’t change what you do in nine months or a year drastically,” Medvedev said of the surface change during his pre-tournament press conference. “So I have to find a good balance where I still play my game, with a little change, with some shots in the right moment.”

For the most part, that means staying consistent. Medvedev begins his clay season on Wednesday against Italian wild card Lorenzo Sonego.

Editor’s Note: Data comes from automated ball and player tracking data.