Taking the court Wednesday evening as the highest-ranked player remaining at the Rolex-Monte Carlo Maters, second seed Alexander Zverev lived up to the billing with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Federico Delbonis. Seeking his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title, and his fourth on the European clay, the German was tested by his World No. 34 opponent but used a late surge to prevent any real drama on the show court.

Zverev has a big opportunity to move within striking distance of the top spot in the ATP Rankings following the early exit of Novak Djokovic and the injury absence of Daniil Medvedev. The German would inch within 125 points of Medvedev and 235 points of World No. 1 Djokovic with a sixth ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte Carlo.

“This is the only Masters on clay I haven’t won yet, but I’m very motivated to do so,” said Zverev, a 2018 semi-finalist at the event. “I’m very motivated to play great tennis and I hope I can show that on court this week.”

After losing the first four points of the match on the return, Zverev snapped into gear to win six straight games as he breezed through the opening set, dropping just three points on serve. Delbonis again started strongly in set two, breaking at love before a mid-set trade of breaks left him leading 3-2.

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As errors began to creep into the Zverev ground game, Delbonis had a point for 5-2 but could not convert, leaving the door open for his opponent. And Zverev took full advantage by winning 11 straight points to move within a game of victory. The Argentine saved a match point at 4-5 and another at 5-6, but netted a backhand at the third time of asking.

“I think just coming back, never letting him get too far ahead [was important],” Zverev assessed. “I broke him back twice, so that is helpful. If you’re down 4-1, 5-2, something like that, it’s not easy to come back.”

As in the opening set, Zverev found the range with his powerful strokes, keeping Delbonis pinned back in the rallies and using his 6-foot-6 frame to great effect in defense. Aggressive from the start, the German finished with 18 winners and 36 unforced errors while converting six of 11 break points.

Overall, he was happy with his performance in first clay-court match of the 2022 ATP Tour season: “I think it’s not bad for a change of surface. Also after Miami I was ill, so you have to take that into consideration a bit. But I’m happy with the win.

“Tomorrow I know that I have to play much better, and hopefully I can give myself the best chances.”

The World No. 3 will next face Pablo Carreno Busta for a spot in the quarter-finals, after the Spaniard advanced via a third-set retirement against Alexander Bublik. The German leads that ATP Head2Head series 2-0, coming back from two sets down in their most recent meeting in the 2020 US Open semi-finals.

#NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti captured the second Top 10 win of his career Wednesday, overcoming World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime, 6-2, 7-6(2), to reach the third round at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The 20-year-old produced a high-quality performance on Court Rainier III as he demonstrated great court-craft, sweeping backhands and firing forehands past the Canadian to improve to 2-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.

“I live here and practise here,” Musetti said in his on-court interview at the Monte Carlo Country Club. “It is nice to be here and play here in front of such a crowd. I am really happy. My backhand down the line was a key to many of my great shots. After a really good first set, he came back with such powerful serving, but I was calm and patient and that was the most beautiful thing about today.”

Musetti, who defeated then-World No. 9 Diego Schwartzman in Acapulco in 2021, has achieved some of the best results of his career on clay. The World No. 83 advanced to the semi-finals in Lyon last year, before he soared to the fourth round at Roland Garros, where he won two sets against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Following his one-hour, 42-minute victory against Auger-Aliassime, Musetti will next meet 12th seed Schwartzman after the Argentine downed Marton Fucsovics, 6-0, 7-6(4).

“Diego knows how to run and how to defend and attack, so it is going to be a really great battle,” Musetti added. “Diego was my first Top 10 win, so let’s see if I can double up the score. I hope to play a great match.”

In a lively encounter in front of a raucous crowd, Musetti quickly found top gear as he caused Auger-Aliassime problems with his shotmaking. The Italian hit 10 winners and did not face a break point in the set, sealing the opener with a clean backhand volley.

_{Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}

Musetti then showed everyone that his game has substance as well as style, battling back from 1-3 in the second set as he zoned in on Auger-Aliassime’s backhand with his heavy hitting.

The Italian timed the ball perfectly throughout, flicking passing shots against the stranded Canadian with regularity. While Auger-Aliassime was able to force a tie-break, Musetti was relentless as he continued to turn the tables in points, defending well from deep behind the baseline before striking the ball with deadly precision as he advanced.

Auger-Aliassime, who has never been beyond the second round in four appearances in Monte Carlo, has now won just one match since he captured the title in Rotterdam and reached the final in Marseille in February.

At 23 years old Casper Ruud is hardly an ATP Tour veteran, but the seventh seed had to use all his experience to nullify an energetic performance from #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune and reach the third round of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday.

“Holger is one of the young guys on Tour, he’s on the rise, and he was playing well today,” said the fourth seed after securing a 7-6(5), 7-5 victory on Court Rainier III. “He played much more aggressive than in [our] previous matches and he didn’t let me control the match as much as I would like to.”

The match was a far-cry from the pair’s two previous meetings, both won by Ruud in straight sets. The fourth seed clicked his powerful groundstrokes into gear just in time to recover a 3/5 deficit in the first-set tie-break before fighting back from 1-3 down to take a second frame that featured seven breaks of serve.

“He took the ball on the rise many times and was playing fast,” said Ruud. “He’s had some matches on the surface already this year and has been in a good flow, so I’m happy that I was able to stop him.”

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Despite the loss, 18-year-old Rune can take plenty of positives from a performance that featured some real moments of quality, a demonstration of the talent that has so many in the tennis world talking. The Dane moved to a career-high No. 79 in the ATP Rankings on Monday and notched a maiden win in Monte Carlo by beating Aslan Karatsev in the first round.

Ruud’s next assignment at the Monte Carlo Country Club will be a third-round clash with World No. 29 Grigor Dimitrov, as the Norwegian seeks to back up his run to a maiden ATP Masters 1000 final at the Miami Open presented by Itau just under two weeks ago.

Carlos Alcaraz suffered a rare setback at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday when he lost in three sets against Sebastian Korda. But the Spanish star was clear that the defeat had nothing to do with expectations.

“I’m a bit disappointed with myself. I had a lot of chances to be up in the match and close to winning, but these losses sometimes [are] good to live. You have to play matches,” Alcaraz said. “But I didn’t think about the expectations that the people have [for] me. I just focussed on me and what I have to do. But as I said, you have to play more matches on clay courts.”

All eyes were on the 18-year-old after his run to the Miami Open presented by Itau title. Alcaraz said that he was not physically and mentally fatigued leading into the year’s first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event.

“I’m ready to [go] back [to] training and focus on the next tournaments,” Alcaraz said. “It [was] a tough match, but I think mentally I’m ready to play these kind of matches, long matches, and tough matches. I mean, mentally and physically, I’m ready.”

Alcaraz admitted that his loss was moreso because of the transition from hard to clay.

“It’s never easy to get used to playing on clay courts. The first match is always tough, even when you are playing against Sebastian, a great player. Today was difficult conditions, the wind and everything,” Alcaraz said. “Now is time to be focussed on the next tournament and keep playing on clay.”

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The World No. 11 added: “It’s totally different to play on clay than on hard court. Points are longer, the slice [is used] much [more] than on hard court. But yeah, you have to adapt your game to clay courts. It’s totally different. More topspin, [the] points [are] longer.

“You have to play matches, play sets, to get used to playing on clay courts. Well, it’s tough, the transition [from] hard courts to clay courts.”

Despite the loss, Alcaraz is still 18-8 in tour-level matches on clay in his career. A year ago, he captured his first ATP Tour title on the surface in Umag and earlier this season he triumphed at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro. Next week, the teen will try to get back on track in Barcelona.

Dominic Thiem will compete in the Millennium Estoril Open for the first time after accepting a wild card into the ATP 250 clay-court event, which will take place from 25 April-1 May.

“Hello everyone, I wanted to let you know that recovery of COVID is going well and I’ll be ready to compete again in a few days. As a matter of fact, I would like to thank the Millennium Estoril Open for the invitation and wild card to play the event this year in Cascais,” Thiem said. “I’ve heard great things about the event and I am looking forward to coming to Portugal to play and to start my comeback. Thank you.”

The Austrian, who is set to play his first tour-level event of the season at next week’s Serbia Open, is a 17-time tour-level titlist. He has lifted 10 of his trophies on clay.

Thiem last June suffered a tear in his right wrist, which kept him out for the rest of the season. The 28-year-old returned to action two weeks ago at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Marbella, where he lost in the first round against Pedro Cachin.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, Cameron Norrie and Diego Schwartzman are also set to compete in Estoril, where Albert Ramos-Vinolas is the defending champion.

Sebastian Korda earned the biggest win of his season Wednesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, edging #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-3 to reach the third round.

World No. 11 Alcaraz arrived in Monte Carlo in red-hot form, having captured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Miami. However the 18-year-old, who was making his debut at the clay-court event, was unable to cope with Korda’s heavy-hitting, variety and depth of shot in windy conditions on Court Rainier III.

The American rallied from a break down in the third set as he struck the ball with fierce accuracy throughout to disrupt Alcaraz’s rhythm and advance after three hours and four minutes. With victory, Korda gained revenge for his defeat to Alcaraz at the 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, where the Spaniard triumphed in the championship match.

Korda, who eliminated Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in the first round, is also competing in Monte Carlo for the first time. The World No. 42 will next face Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz or Croatian Marin Cilic as he aims to reach his second quarter-final of the season, after advancing to the last eight in Delray Beach.

The 21-year-old has tasted success on clay before, with his only tour-level title coming on the surface in Parma last year. Meanwhile, Alcaraz became the youngest ATP 500 champion when he captured the trophy on clay in Rio de Janeiro in February.

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In an entertaining match between two of the most exciting prospects on Tour, Alcaraz and Korda had to demonstrate good footwork to cope with the wind. Korda raced into a 4-2 lead in the first set, however, Alcaraz then started to find his range, rolling off three straight games.

He was twice unable to serve out the set though as Korda returned with great depth before playing the more consistent tennis in the tie-break to lead. Korda then showed his fighting spirit in the second set as he battled back from 0-3 down as both players struggled to find their range from the baseline in a topsy-turvy clash. The American saved three set points on serve at 4-5, leaving another tie-break to decide the set.

Alcaraz demonstrated his recent winning mentality in the tie-break, hanging in rallies and executing drop shots to perfection to level. The cat-and-mouse points continued in the third set, with both looking to drag each other around the court with deft touches. The match remained finely poised until deep into the deciding set, when Korda broke to move 5-3 ahead. The American then served out to triumph.

Stemming from his love and passion for helping animals, Denis Shapovalov has launched ShapoShelter to take his commitment to a new level. The Canadian’s new initiative will amplify the needs of animal shelters by highlighting stories of dogs and cats in need.

“I’ve been supporting different shelters throughout the years,” said the World No. 15. “I’ve got so many pets of my own, so I’m really excited to announce that I’ve put together a team and have started my own page called ShapoShelter, which is going to help out different shelters around the world promote their animals, both dogs and cats, and try to help them find new homes.”

In its initial phase, ShapoShelter is a social media initiative and website designed to support the Humane Society of Manatee County, the Humane Society of Greater Miami and Adopta Un Amigo Para Siempre in Mexico City. As part of Miami Open Unites, Shapovalov recently visited the Miami facility alongside fellow stars like Matteo Berrettini and the WTA Tour’s Belinda Bencic.

Working with friends Cornelius Haarmann and Nadia Abdala, Shapovalov is keen to expand his support to other animal shelters around the world.

“With ShapoShelter, we’re going to highlight the stories of these poor animals that can’t tell their own stories in hopes to find them new homes,” he explained, “as well as tell the stories of all of these different shelters and different organisations trying to help these beautiful animals.

“Hopefully ShapoShelter can help find many more animals their forever homes and give them a chance to have a great life.”

Fellow animal lovers can learn more about the Canadian’s initiative at ShapoShelter.com and by following @ShapoShelter on Instagram and Twitter.

I am so excited to announce the launch of @ShapoShelter! 🐾

I have a huge love for animals and over the years I’ve heard so many cruel stories about animals that were so helpless and I’ve always wanted to do more to help them. 🙏🏼❤️ pic.twitter.com/FVysqukLpe

— Denis Shapovalov (@denis_shapo) April 11, 2022

Over the weekend Holger Rune did double-duty, completing his title run at the Sanremo Challenger while qualifying for the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters less than an hour’s drive away. The confidence is showing in the #NextGenATP Dane’s play.

Rune defeated Aslan Karatsev 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-3 after two hours and 33 minutes on Tuesday to reach the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 event.

“Eight solid matches in eight days and now we continue to [the] second round of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters,” Rune wrote on Instagram.

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The World No. 79, who gained 12 spots in the ATP Rankings following his ATP Challenger Tour victory last week, saved seven of the 10 break points he faced against Karatsev. He will next face fourth seed Casper Ruud, with the winner to face former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov, who rallied past Serbian Dusan Lajovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Tuesday.

One year ago, Ruud defeated Rune 6-2, 6-1 in Monte Carlo. But Rune has an opportunity to earn his revenge against the Norwegian and claim his first Top 10 win.

The 18-year-old Rune is one of two teens inside the world’s Top 100, with the other being recent Miami Open presented by Itau champion Carlos Alcaraz. Both competed in last year’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

Wednesday’s play at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters will whittle the men’s singles draw down to the last 16, with a star-studded lineup set to grace the red clay courts in Monaco.

Carlos Alcaraz will make his debut at the ATP Masters 1000 event, fresh off his first title at that level in Miami. The Spaniard will open play on Court Rainier III, with Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alexander Zverev to follow. Four more Top 10 seeds headline the action on Court Des Princes.

View Schedule | View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw

[8] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) vs. Sebastian Korda (USA)

Alcaraz’s scintillating 10-1 run in Indian Wells and Miami left many wondering if hard courts may be his best surface. But the 18-year-old grew up on clay courts in Spain, and already has two clay titles to his name in Umag and Rio de Janeiro. 

Entering Monte Carlo at a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 11, Alcaraz has a chance to once again showcase his prowess on the dirt.

“I’m so excited to play after the Masters 1000 in Miami,” he said after arriving in Monaco for the first time. “I’m really excited to play on clay and really excited to play in front of the Monte Carlo crowd.”

He will face a tough opening test against 21-year-old Sebastian Korda, who pushed Rafael Nadal to a third-set tie-break in Indian Wells. The World No. 42 American knocked off Botic van de Zandschulp, 7-5, 6-4, in the Monte Carlo first round.

Their Wednesday meeting is a rematch of the 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals championship match, which Alcaraz won in straight sets. But despite his growing trophy collection, Alcaraz remains grounded.  

“I will always be the same person. l will never change,” he said in a pre-tournament interview. “I’ll just be confident, of course, doing the selifes, doing autographs and everything. But I will be always the same person.”

(6) Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs. Lorenzo Musetti (ITA)

Two more youngsters will battle it out on the Monte Carlo show court as the 21-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime takes on 20-year-old #NextGenATP star Lorenzo Musetti. The pair split their previous two ATPHead2Head meetings, with both matches requiring three sets during the European clay swing in 2021.

After reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals and taking a two-set lead against Daniil Medvedev, Auger-Aliassime had a career month in February. He followed up his first ATP Tour title in Rotterdam by reaching the Marseille final, but slumped to two first-round exits at the March Masters 1000s. The Canadian will look to recapture his early-season form in Monte Carlo, where he has one win in three appearances. 

“I feel good. I know the things I could have done better in those matches that I’ve lost,” he said, reflecting on his recent performances. “I feel like overall my tennis is improving. I’m figuring out myself more and more, becoming a better player… I’m confident I can play well on this clay swing.”

Musetti picked up his first Monte Carlo victory in a 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-2 result over Benoit Paire on Tuesday. The World No. 83 is making his second appearance in Monaco.

(2) Alexander Zverev (GER) vs. Federico Delbonis (ARG)

Alexander Zverev has won three clay-court ATP Masters 1000 titles and reached the Monte Carlo semi-finals in 2018, but has not been beyond the last 16 since in Monaco. The World No. 3 and two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion reached the Miami quarter-finals in his last appearance, and counts a run to the Montpellier final as his best result on the season.

Federico Delbonis ended a five-match losing streak by beating Jaume Munar, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 on Monday and will seek his first victory against the German on Wednesday. Zverev leads the pair’s ATPHead2Head series 2-0, with both matches coming on clay in 2019.

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Best Of The Rest

With eight of the tournament’s Top 10 seeds in action Wednesday, there’s no shortage of star power. The only Top 10 seeds not in action are Stefanos Tsitsipas (through to the last 16 after a 6-3, 6-0 win over Fabio Fognini) and Novak Djokovic (eliminated by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina).

Rounding out the play on Court Rainier III is fourth seed Casper Ruud’s matchup with Danish qualifier and #NextGenATP contender Holger Rune.

Court Des Princes will feature Andrey Rublev, Cameron Norrie, Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner, with Rublev taking on Alex de Minaur in the evening’s final match.

Three doubles matches complete the Day 4 slate, with second seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic set to take on Tsitsipas and brother Petros Tsitsipas on Court 2 after three singles matches.

SCHEDULE – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12

COURT RAINIER III start 11:00 a.m.

[8] C. Alcaraz (ESP) vs. S. Korda (USA)
[4] C. Ruud (NOR) vs. [Q] Holger Rune (DEN)
[6] F. Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs. L. Musetti (ITA)
[2] A. Zverev (GER) vs. F. Delbonis (ARG)

COURT DES PRINCES start 11:00 a.m.

[7] C. Norrie (GBR) vs. A. Ramos-Vinolas (ESP)
[10] T. Fritz (USA) vs. M. Cilic (CRO)
[9] J. Sinner (ITA) vs. [Q] E. Ruusuvuori
[5] A. Rublev vs. A. de Minaur (AUS)

COURT 2 start 11:00 a.m.

[16] L. Sonego vs. L. Djere (SRB)
D. Evans (GBR) vs. [WC] D. Goffin (BEL)
[12] D. Schwartzman (ARG) vs. M. Fucsovics (HUN)
[2] N. Mektic (CRO) / M. Pavic (CRO) vs. P. Tsitsipas (GRE) / S. Tsitsipas (GRE)

COURT 9 start 11:00 a.m.
[6] J. Cabal (COL) / R. Farah (COL) vs. S. Gonzalez (MEX) / A. Molteni (ARG)
[11] H. Hurkacz (POL) vs. P. Martinez (ESP)
[13] P. Carreno Busta (ESP) vs. A. Bublik (KAZ)

COURT 11 start 2:00 p.m.
[5] T. Puetz (GER) / M. Venus (AUS) vs. A. Karatsev / J. Peers (AUS)