Four years ago, Dominic Thiem defeated Marco Cecchinato in straight sets in the Roland Garros semi-finals. On Monday in Geneva, with both men trying to find their form, it was Cecchinato who emerged victorious.

The Italian defeated Thiem 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Gonet Geneva Open, leaving the Austrian still looking to recapture his best form leading into Roland Garros.

Thiem missed the second half of last season due to a wrist injury. The former World No. 3 returned to action at an ATP Challenger Tour event this March, and has yet to taste victory in his six outings.

The two-time Roland Garros finalist showed some of his trademark shotmaking in Geneva, where he hit two stunning tweener winners in the same game. But he was unable to find enough consistency against Cecchinato, who triumphed in one hour and 33 minutes.

The former World No. 16 entered the week with an 0-11 record at all levels this year, but he has now won three matches in Geneva, including qualifying, without losing a set. Cecchinato, who saved all seven break points he faced against Thiem, will next play Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak, who defeated eighth seed Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3 on Sunday.

In other Day Two action, former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 win against Australian John Millman. The Frenchman will challenge Daniil Medvedev in the World No. 2’s first clay-court match of the year following a hernia procedure.

Seventh seed Federico Delbonis also moved on with a 6-4 6-4 victory against Lithuanian wild card Ricardas Berankis, while 2021 Winston-Salem champion Ilya Ivashka rallied past American Marcos Giron 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Gael Monfils announced on social media Monday that he is withdrawing from the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon and Roland Garros due to a right foot injury, for which he will undergo a “small procedure” this week.

“Hi all, I regret to inform you that I am forced to withdraw from Open Parc de Lyon and the French Open next week. I have been bothered by a calcaneal spur since Monte Carlo at my right heel which prevents me from moving properly on court,” Monfils wrote on Twitter. “I have decided to undergo a small procedure this week to treat the issue before returning to competitive play. I will keep you updated about my progress when I have more news.”

Hi all, I regret to inform you that I am forced to withdraw from Open Parc de Lyon and the French Open next week. I have been bothered by a calcaneal spur since Monte-Carlo at my right heel which prevents me from moving properly on court.

— Gael Monfils (@Gael_Monfils) May 16, 2022

Monfils is 12-6 on the season, including a title at the Adelaide International 1 in January. The Frenchman most recently competed at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he lost to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the second round.

The 35-year-old reached the Roland Garros semi-finals in 2008 and advanced to the quarter-finals in 2009, 2011 and 2014.

Competing at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon for the last time Monday, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s finale at the ATP 250 event was spoiled by Alex Molcan.

Frenchman Tsonga, who will retire after Roland Garros, lifted the trophy in Lyon in 2017 and reached the semi-finals in 2007 and 2008. However, the former World No. 5 was unable to match Molcan’s intensity in their first-round clash, suffering a 6-4, 6-4 defeat on home soil in one hour and 32 minutes.

World No. 47 Molcan enjoyed a run to the final in Marrakech in April and he played with confidence against Tsonga, using the drop shot effectively to set up a second-round meeting against fifth seed Karen Khachanov or French qualifier Gilles Simon.

“I am really happy I won today. It was a pleasure to play against Jo,” Molcan said in his on-court interview. “He is a legend of the sport and I am really happy I could play him at least once in my career. I remember him playing, he was unbelievable. The emotions, everything.”

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP Tour App
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

In an all-French meeting, Ugo Humbert snapped a three-match losing streak, downing qualifier Gregoire Barrere 6-3, 6-4 in 75 minutes to reach the second round In Lyon for the second time. The World No. 45 will next meet Australian Alex de Minaur.

In other action, Soonwoo Kwon saved a match point, before downing Aljaz Bedene 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-0, while Germany’s Oscar Otte defeated French wild card Lucas Pouille 6-3, 6-1.

Kwon will next play eighth seed Pedro Martinez or lucky loser Yosuke Watanuki, with Otte facing Estoril champion Sebastian Baez or Argentine qualifier Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

A series of standout clay-court results has seen Dane Holger Rune strengthen his chances of qualifying for the 2022 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held in Milan from 8-12 November.

The 19-year-old currently sits third in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan on 503 points after recently capturing his first ATP Tour title in Munich, where he earned the biggest win of his career against World No. 3 Alexander Zverev.

Rune, who also came through qualifying to reach the second round in Monte Carlo, will be aiming to make his second appearance in Milan, having competed at the 21-and-under event last year.

Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan Standings (Full List)

Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz triumphed in Milan last year and leads the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan on 3,460 points after soaring to back-to-back trophies on home soil in Barcelona and Madrid. By eliminating Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev en route to the trophy in Madrid, Alcaraz became the first player since David Nalbandian in Madrid in 2007 to defeat three top four stars at an ATP Masters 1000 event.

Two Italians currently occupy second and fourth place, with 2019 victor Jannik Sinner on 1,250 points and Lorenzo Musetti on 486 points. Sinner advanced to the quarter-finals on home soil at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, earning wins over Pedro Martinez, Fabio Fognini and Filip Krajinovic.

Musetti has flourished on clay in the past month, holding a 10-4 record on the surface this year. The 20-year-old enjoyed runs to the third round at all three clay-court Masters 1000 events this season in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome.

Jack Draper (413 points) and Jiri Lehecka (406 points) are both aiming to qualify for the 21-and-under event for the first time and are currently well placed in fifth and sixth, respectively. Briton Draper has earned four ATP Challenger Tour titles this year and reached the second round in Madrid, while Czech Lehecka holds a 23-14 record across all levels in 2022.

The 20-year-old advanced to the final at a Challenger Tour event last week and reached his first tour-level semi-final in Rotterdam in February.

Chun-hsin Tseng of Chinese Taipei has captured two Challenger Tour crowns in 2022 and is currently seventh on 292 points, one place ahead of 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals competitor Brandon Nakashima, who has 200 points.

Italians Flavio Cobolli and Luca Nardi have clinched three Challenger Tour trophies between them this year and round out the Top 10. The pair both received wild cards to compete in Rome last week, but suffered first-round exits on home soil.

Stefanos Tsitsipas fell in the Internazionali d’Italia final on Sunday against the Novak Djokovic, but it was another impressive week from the Greek star. The 23-year-old is now up to second in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin, trailing first-placed Rafael Nadal by just 130 points.

A victory against Djokovic at the Foro Italico would have sent the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion into first, ahead of Nadal. Despite the loss, he will enter Roland Garros in the top two in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin for the second consecutive year (nobody competing this week in Geneva or Lyon can catch him).

Tsitsipas is trying to qualify for the season finale for the fourth consecutive year. This season’s Nitto ATP Finals will be held from 13-20 November.

Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin Standings (Full List)

The man who defeated him at the Foro Italico, Djokovic, soared 18 places into 10th in the Race. Entering the week, the Serbian had just 610 points. But by claiming a record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000 title, he added 1,000 points to his total to move into the thick of the Race.

Djokovic is just five points behind ninth-placed Casper Ruud and 155 points behind eighth-placed Taylor Fritz, who is attempting to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime moved into fourth as he also pursues a maiden appearance at the year-end championships. The 21-year-old reached the quarter-finals in Rome, where Djokovic ousted him in a tight two-setter.

Auger-Aliassime has now made the quarter-finals in four consecutive tournaments and lifted his first ATP Tour trophy earlier this year in Rotterdam.

Defending Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev, who also triumphed at the season finale in 2018, climbed to fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin after advancing to the Rome semi-finals. The German trails Auger-Aliassime by just 45 points.

Stefanos Tsitsipas battled hard on Sunday against Novak Djokovic in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final. The problem was that Novak Djokovic was just a bit better.

The Greek star praised Djokovic, whom he called a “great champion”, for his performance not just in Rome, but over the past several years.

“He has everything tuned in close to perfection. When it comes to his diet or his everyday life, his tennis, he has everything scheduled out really well,” Tsitsipas said. “He’s like a Formula 1 car: every single small detail can disrupt his rhythm. He makes sure every single thing that he does is reaching as close to perfection as possible.”

With his straight-sets victory at the Foro Italico, Djokovic claimed a record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000 title.

“In terms of talking about tennis legends and breaking records, when it comes to all these things, I personally think he’s one of the most professional and the best of them all,” Tsitsipas said.

The Greek and Djokovic will next compete at Roland Garros. Last year, the pair clashed in a memorable championship match on the terre battue, with the Serbian rallying from two sets down to lift the trophy.

They both have lost to red-hot Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz this clay-court season. Tsitsipas believes those are the two leading favourites in Paris.

“Right now Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic. They both play great, great tennis. I would put them as favourites,” Tsitsipas said. “Right now I need to improve a few things in my game. I don’t know if I’m going to get there, but I hope I do with my hard work by the time Roland Garros begins.

“I’d love myself to get around with these players and be there with them. But I will really need to put a bit more attention to detail in the next couple of weeks.”

Thirteen-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal is also always among the leading favourites at the clay-court major. But Tsitsipas also belongs in the conversation, as he will climb to second in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin on Monday.

The 23-year-old is 14-2 on clay this season, earning his second Masters 1000 crown at Monte Carlo. Tsitsipas is not getting ahead of himself though, as he prepares to return to the venue where he reached his first major final.

“It’s a marathon that I have to run. Roland Garros is a marathon Grand Slam. Every Grand Slam is a marathon Grand Slam, but specifically Roland Garros,” Tsitsipas said. “It really takes the most out of you spiritually and physically when you’re out on the court. Clay courts [have] this ability to really squeeze every single part of you. You have to leave it, your all, out there.

“I’m ready to get a few days of rest and start practising again to get into that Roland Garros mindset. I enjoy playing in this city. I really hope my tennis allows me to go deep this year.”

Pound the backhand to get off to a flyer. Pound the backhand to put two hands on the trophy.

Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 7-6(5) in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final on Sunday by unleashing against the Greek’s one-handed backhand in a straight-sets final that actually had three very distinct phases.

Overall, Tsitsipas hit 100 forehand groundstrokes and 90 backhand groundstrokes for the match, but the road to a record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000 crown for the Super Serbian definitely went through the Greek’s backhand wing.

Phase 1: Set 1 Djokovic 6-0
Djokovic was mentally locked in to begin the match, winning the first six points of the final to lay the groundwork for the first-set bagel. Tsitsipas committed an error on four of the first 10 backhands he struck, ultimately coughing up nine backhand errors in the opening set while collecting no winners.

The backhand was misfiring. Djokovic swarmed.

Too many backhands hit the frame or landed short as the Greek tried to roll the ball up high to Djokovic’s backhand wing. It appeared Tsitsipas had very little time to prepare for the shot as Djokovic was stepping into almost every ball he hit. What is even more startling is that Tsitsipas had zero backhand groundstroke winners in set one, and not one backhand groundstroke in the opening set extracted an error from Djokovic.

Phase 2: Set 2 Tsitsipas led 5-2
Tsitsipas raced to a 4-1 then 5-2 lead in the second set courtesy of Djokovic missing more and becoming increasingly agitated with his game as the pro-Greek crowd came alive, throwing their support behind Tsitsipas to extend the match to a third set.

Tsitsipas hit 29 backhands in this second phase of the match and remarkably committed zero errors while also hitting one winner and extracting two errors. It’s like a light switch was flicked and the Greek figured out a way to immediately stop the bleeding off this wing. Tsitsipas hit 34 forehand groundstrokes in the second period of the match, committing seven errors and collecting just one winner.

The backhand had suddenly become the star at the Foro Italico.

Phase 3: Set 2 Djokovic wins 7-6(5)
Tsitsipas had a break point with Djokovic serving at 1-4, 30/40 in the second set, but yielded a backhand winner to the Serbian, who was on the front foot desperately trying to play through Tsitsipas to save the set. Had Tsitsipas won that point, he would have served for set two and the final outcome could have been much different.

From 2-5 in the second set, Djokovic doubled down on pounding Tsitsipas’ backhand, making him hit 36 backhands in six games. In the second phase, Tsitsipas hit 29 backhands for no errors. In the third period, Tsitsipas hit 36 backhands for seven errors. In the third, Tsitsipas’ forehand only yielded two groundstroke errors.

It was once again the Tsitsipas backhand that was misbehaving.

Tsitsipas Backhand Groundstroke Performance
– Phase 1 = 6 games/25 backhands/9 errors

– Phase 2 = 7 games/29 backhands/0 errors

– Phase 3 = 6 games/36 backhands/7 errors

It was clearly the backhand groundstroke that faltered at the start and end of the match for the Greek. Djokovic mentally and emotionally lost his way in the middle of the encounter but took care of business when it mattered at the end of the match to notch his first title of the 2022 season.

#NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune earned victory on his Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon debut Sunday, overcoming Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 7-6(4), 7-6(3) to reach the second round.

The 19-year-old clinched his maiden ATP Tour title in Munich at the start of May and has now won his past six tour-level matches following his two-hour, two-minute triumph against Rinderknech.

By improving to 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, Rune, who is third in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan, booked a second-round clash with Adrian Mannarino.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP Tour App
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

The Frenchman upset sixth seed Aslan Karatsev 7-6(0), 6-4 in two hours and 17 minutes to earn his first clay-court win of the season.

With his back against the wall, Mannarino saved four set points in the first set, rallying from 1-5 before he found his best level in the second set to advance. The 33-year-old is making his second appearance at home in Lyon.

In other action, Miami semi-finalist Francisco Cerundolo moved past Australian James Duckworth 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to set a second-round meeting with top seed Cameron Norrie.

Cerundolo reached the semi-finals on clay in Rio de Janeiro in February and is now 8-4 on the surface in 2022.

In the one doubles match, top seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek defeated wild cards Ugo Humbert and Tristan Lamasine 6-4, 6-7(2), 10-0.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic revealed that he is delighted with where his game is after he captured a record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000 crown on Sunday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

The Serbian, who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, did not drop a set en route to his sixth title in Rome and earned his 1000th match win along the way.

“I couldn’t ask for a better week really,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. “[I] played a perfect set today. Didn’t drop a set the whole tournament. I trusted the process really when I started training on clay…

“I usually peak here in Rome. I’ve had six titles but also had a lot of finals and semi-finals. Always a really good week of tennis with a lot of matches, and competitiveness on the court. Anything that I was really looking for here in Rome I got.”

The 34-year-old’s victory in the Italian capital has marked an impressive turnaround for Djokovic, who lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his opening match in Monte Carlo just a month ago.

Despite his struggles at the start of the European clay swing, the top seed said that while he ‘felt rusty’, he never panicked and believed he would regain his best level providing that he played matches.

“I think physically I really felt really good from Madrid onwards,” Djokovic added when discussing his run to the semi-finals in Spain. “Already there I felt like the physical issues that I was facing in Monte Carlo and Serbia were behind me. I put in a lot of fitness hours between Serbia and Madrid.”

Pleased with his progress, Djokovic will now turn his attention to Roland Garros, where he will pursue the title and draw level with Rafael Nadal on 21 Grand Slam crowns.

“I could not ask for a better lead-up to Roland Garros really,” Djokovic said. “Serbian Open finals, really working my way through the tournament physically. Then Madrid, better performances, but still maybe not as sharp in those decisive moments. And here everything kind of came together and clicked.

“I’m going to Paris with confidence and good feelings about my chances there.”