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Molcan Scores Second Straight Marrakech Upset To Reach SFs

  • Posted: Apr 08, 2022

Molcan Scores Second Straight Marrakech Upset To Reach SFs

Djere, Goffin, Coria complete semi-final lineup

Slovakia’s Alex Molcan backed up his upset of Marrakech top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime with another three-set victory over sixth seed Botic van de Zandschulp on Friday at the Grand Prix Hassan II.

After beating the Canadian in a third-set tie-break, Molcan scored a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Van de Zandschulp to reach his second ATP Tour semi-final. After getting broken twice in the opening set, the Slovak did not face a break point in the last two stanzas. 

“Botic is a really good player so I knew it was going to be really tough,” Molcan said post-match. “He was playing very fast with an amazing serve. 

“In the second set I was trying to stay focused on the game and to play every point and of course try to win. It went as I planned it. The third set was a battle of course.”

The 24-year-old’s previous tour-level semi-final appearance came in 2021 at the Belgrade 2 event, where he qualified and earned his first four ATP Tour wins before losing to home favourite Novak Djokovic in the final. Molcan’s quarter-final opponent also has history going deep as a qualifier, with Botic making his breakthrough run to the 2021 US Open quarter-finals after qualifying.

Molcan is making his Marrakech debut at a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 65, and is now set to break into the Top 60 following his semi-final run.

He will face eighth seed Laslo Djere in the semi-finals, after the Serbian secured a 6-3, 6-2 win over #NextGenATP star Lorenzo Musetti. The 26-year-old is through to his first tour-level semi-final of the 2022 season thanks to a strong performance in the closing stages of both sets.

After saving the first three break points of the match, Djere took the lone break of the opening set in the sixth game. He then trailed 0-2 in the second before rattling off six games on the trot to seal his progress.  He broke serve four times in 12 chances, converting in all four games in which he had break points.

In the opposite half of the draw, David Goffin and Federico Coria each came back from a set down to reach the semi-finals.

Goffin got past Roberto Carballes Baena, 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-0, defeating the Spaniard for the second time in as many tournaments following his win in the Miami opening round. The former World No. 7 is through to his first ATP Tour semi-final in over a year, since he won the 2021 Montpellier title.

After coming back from a set down against Pablo Andujar to earn his 300th tour-level win on Thursday, Goffin kept that number ticking up with a repeat performance against Andujar’s countryman.

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Goffin Records 300th Win, Reaches Marrakech QFs

“It’s already a good week but it’s not over yet,” said the Belgian. “We try to go for more. It’s another long match against a Spaniard on the clay.

“I felt that today I had everything in my racquet to be aggressive and to make damage during the rallies,” he assessed. “That’s what I did at the beginning of the second set. It gave me some confidence to continue and to stay mentally in the match. When I won the second set with a good service game to finish it, it gave me even more confidence to start well in the third. And then I was just playing better and better.”

Argentina’s Coria also dropped an opening-set tie-break in a 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-4 win over Richard Gasquet. Sitting at a career-high ATP Ranking of World No. 60, the Marrakech debutant was down an early break in the final set but closed out the win by taking six of the last eight games, including the last three in a row from 3-4, closing out with a love hold.

The 30-year-old Coria and the 31-year-old Goffin will open their ATP Head2Head series in Saturday’s semis.

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Djokovic Could Face Alcaraz In Monte-Carlo QFs

  • Posted: Apr 08, 2022

Djokovic Could Face Alcaraz In Monte-Carlo QFs

Indian Wells champ Fritz also in top quarter

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic returns to action at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, but the two-time champion will have to negotiate a difficult path if he wants to add a third Monte-Carlo title to his collection following the release of the draw Friday.

The 34-year-old could face #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster quarter-final at the ATP Masters 1000 event, with Indian Wells titlist Taylor Fritz also in his quarter.

Djokovic, who opens against Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or American Marcos Giron, has never played Alcaraz, who arrives in Monte-Carlo high in confidence following his title run at the Miami Open presented by Itau. The eighth seed is making his debut at the clay-court event and will begin against Sebastian Korda or Botic van de Zandschulp. Alcaraz is 18-2 on the season, having also triumphed on clay in Rio de Janeiro.

American Fritz earned the biggest title of his career when he ended Rafael Nadal’s unbeaten start to the season to win the trophy in California last month. The 10th seed will play wild card Lucas Catarina in the first round, with French wild card Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Croatian Marin Cilic awaiting next. 

In the bottom half of the draw, reigning champion Stefanos Tsitsipas will start his title defence against Italian former champ Fabio Fognini or Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, with Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime seeded to meet the Greek in the quarter-finals.

Third seed Tsitsipas downed Andrey Rublev to clinch his maiden Masters 1000 crown last year and will be aiming to regain top form this week after losing to Alcaraz in the fourth round in Miami at the end of March.

Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime has won just one match since he clinched the title in Rotterdam and reached the final in Marseille at the end of February. The sixth seed, who is making his fourth appearance in Monte-Carlo, will play #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti or Benoit Paire in his opening match. Musetti flourished on clay last season, advancing to the semi-finals in Lyon, before he advanced to the fourth round at Roland Garros. 

Second seed Alexander Zverev is in the same half of the draw as Tsitsipas and the same quarter as Rublev. The German could face the returning Stan Wawrinka in the third round if Zverev can overcome Federico Delbonis or a qualifier and Wawrinka can pass tests against Alexander Bublik and then Pablo Carreno Busta or a qualifier in the second round.

Former World No. 3 Wawrinka lifted the trophy in Monte-Carlo in 2014, but has not competed at a tour-level event since Doha last March. In a stacked bottom quarter, Italian Jannik Sinner will also pose a danger, with the ninth seed opening against Croatian Borna Coric. The 20-year-old, who has reached three tour-level quarter-finals in 2022, is seeded to meet Rublev in the last eight, with the 24-year-old opening against Australian Alex de Minaur or a qualifier.

Fourth seed Casper Ruud is in the top half of the draw and is a potential semi-finalist opponent for Djokovic. The Norwegian has captured six ATP 250 titles on clay and reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final last week in Miami. Ruud, who reached the Monte-Carlo and Madrid semi-finals last season, will begin his campaign against Aslan Karatsev or a qualifier and may play seventh seed Cameron Norrie or Pole Hubert Hurkacz in the last eight.

Norrie, who climbed into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday, will open against Tallon Griekspoor or Albert Ramos-Vinolas, while Hurkacz faces dynamic Frenchman Gael Monfils.

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Fritz Brushes Off Tabilo In 2022 Clay Debut In Houston

  • Posted: Apr 08, 2022

Fritz Brushes Off Tabilo In 2022 Clay Debut In Houston

Garin, Tiafoe come from behind to reach quarter-finals

After a hugely successful month of March on the U.S. coasts, Taylor Fritz showed that his big game is also a perfect fit for Texas.

On Thursday at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, the World No. 13 American made a winning clay-court debut for the season with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Alejandro Tabilo. Fresh off his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells and a fourth-round run in Miami, Fritz got up and running on the Houston clay by taking the first four games of the match, then closed out the contest with his fifth break of the contest.

“I felt like tonight was going to be a really tough match, given he’s done really well on clay,” Fritz said of his Houston opener. “It was my first match [on clay]. I’m pretty happy with how I played. I can’t complain, I got out of that pretty solid.”

Chile’s Tabilo, who has played exclusively on clay since February, reached his first ATP Tour quarter-final as a qualifier in Cordoba and later advanced to the Santiago semi-finals. He entered Houston following a final run at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Santiago in March.

But Fritz dominated his World No. 100 early, and led by a set and a break before the Tabilo made his charge midway through set two. Down 0-3 in the second set, Tabilo began to settle in, cutting down on his errors to bring the set to 4-4. 

The American avoided any late drama by reasserting himself and taking the last two fames of the match.

He hit just a few drop shots over the course of the one-hour encounter, but said post-match that he’s working on adding that tactic for the clay swing: “It’s definitely something I need to bring into my game because I back people up so much on the groundstrokes,” he explained, before stating that his goals for the season include breaking into the Top 10 and qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals.


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Earlier in Houston, a pair of seeded players fought back from a set down to advance. Defending champion Cristian Garin — Fritz’s quarter-final opponent — shook off a slow start to defeat Australia’s Jordan Thompson, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Entering the event on a five-match losing streak, the fifth seed has now come from behind in back-to-back matches on the red clay.

Sixth seed Frances Tiafoe went the distance against Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas to earn a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(4) victory over the course of two hours, 40 minutes. The American served from the opening set at 5-4, but dropped three straight games as the six-time ATP Tour champion Cuevas took the initiative and began to push him back in the rallies.

Tiafoe again failed to serve out the set at 5-4 in the second, but was able to reclaim his advantage by breaking serve on his fifth break chance of a four-deuce game — the longest of the match. There were no break chances in the decider, but the American put his stamp on the do-or-die tie-break by winning four straight points from 2-2. He closed the match out on his third match point.

All the action from the Houston ATP 250 event can be seen on ESPN3 in the U.S.

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Ebden/Purcell Cruise Into Houston SFs

  • Posted: Apr 08, 2022

Ebden/Purcell Cruise Into Houston SFs

Top seeds Golubev/Martin advance to Marrakech semi-finals

Australian Open finalists Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell are one win away from their second tour-level final of the season after a dominant win Thursday in Houston.

The Aussies swept past Nicholas Monroe and Fernando Romboli, 6-2, 6-2, to reach the final four at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. It was an identical scoreline to their first-round victory over the American pairing of Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey.

Ebden and Purcell converted on four of their six break chances in the match while saving all five break points against them.

Twin brothers Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov scored the upset of the day in Houston, knocking out third seeds Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock, 6-4, 6-2. They’ll face William Blumberg and Max Schnur in the semi-finals, after they won an all-American matchup against Robert Galloway and Jackson Withrow.

In the Marrakech quarter-finals, top seeds Andrey Golubev and Fabrice Martin were 6-3, 7-6(4) winners over Elliot Benchetrit and Lamine Ouahab. After surviving a Match Tie-break in the opening round against Dutchmen Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp, the Kazakh/French duo dominated on serve Thursday, winning 82 per cent of first serve points and not allowing a break point.

They will face Andrea Vavassori and Jan Zielinski in the Grand Prix Hassan II semis, after the Meixcan/Polish duo defeated Guillermo Duran and Federico Delbonis, 3-6, 7-6(7), 10-3. The opposite semi-final will see Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez take on Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

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Berrettini To Miss Bulk Of Clay Season

  • Posted: Apr 08, 2022

Berrettini To Miss Bulk Of Clay Season

Italian recovering from minor surgery on right hand

Matteo Berrettini’s right-hand injury will sideline him for longer than first thought, the Italian World No. 6 announced on Thursday. After reaching the fourth round in Indian Wells, the Italian withdrew from Miami and underwent a minor operation on a right-hand injury in late March. 

“Following advice from the medical experts, my team and I have decided that it is crucial I do not put time pressure on my recovery process,” Berrettini said in a post on his Instagram account.

Berrettini has now confirmed that he will miss the bulk of the European clay swing, pulling out of the ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome. That timeline will leave him out of action through mid-May.

“Withdrawing from these events, particularly Rome, was an extremely tough decision, however it is the right one to ensure many more years of competing at the highest level for the biggest trophies,” he added.

The 25-year-old reached the Madrid final in 2021, losing to Alexander Zverev in three sets, and reached the third round in his hometown tournament in Rome. 

Berrettini, who has won three of his five ATP Tour titles on clay, has played just one event on the surface to date in 2022 — when he lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the Rio de Janeiro quarter-finals, a reversal of their five-set Australian Open third-round thriller, won by the Italian.

Berrettini concluded his Instagram message on a positive note: “My recovery process is on track and I look forward to seeing you on court soon,” he wrote.

 

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Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters: Draws, Dates, History & All You Need To Know

  • Posted: Apr 07, 2022

Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters: Draws, Dates, History & All You Need To Know

All about the ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament in Monte-Carlo, Monaco

The start of the European clay-court swing will see Novak Djokovic lead the field at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, the first of three clay-court ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.

After Taylor Fritz and Carlos Alcaraz triumphed at the first two Masters 1000 tournaments of the season in Indian Wells and Miami respectively, Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas will be aiming to retain his title on the red dirt in Monte-Carlo.

Here’s what you need to know: 

When is the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters?

The 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters will be held from 10-17 April at the Monte-Carlo Country Club in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The tournament director is Zeljko Franulovic.

Who is playing at the 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters?

The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters will feature Top 10 stars Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is the reigning champion. #NextGenATP pair Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz also feature.

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

The Monte-Carlo draw will be made on Friday 8 April at 5:00 p.m. local time.

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

* Qualifying: Saturday, 9 April – Sunday, 10 April at 11:00 a.m. local time
* Main Draw: Sunday, 10 April – Friday, 15 April at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, 16 April at 11:30 a.m.
* Doubles Final: Sunday, 17 April at 11:30 a.m.
* Singles Final: Sunday, 17 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 €5,415,410 and the Total Financial Commitment is €5,802,475.

SINGLES
Winner: €836,335 / 1,000 points
Finalist: €456,720 / 600 points
Semi-finalist: €249,740/ 360 points
Quarter-finalist: €136,225 / 180 points
Round of 16: €72,865 / 90 points
Round of 32: €39,070 / 45 points
Round of 56: €21,650 / 25 points

DOUBLES ($ per team)
Winner: €256,610 / 1,000 points
Finalist: €139,390/ 600 points
Semi-finalist: €76,560 / 360 points
Quarter-finalist: €42,240 / 180 points
Round of 16: €23,230 / 90 points
Round of 32: €12,670 / 0 points

How can I watch the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters?

Watch Live On Tennis TV
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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 2021?

Stefanos Tsitsipas won the 2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters singles title with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Andrey Rublev in the championship match (Read & Watch). Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic lifted the doubles trophy in Monte-Carlo with a 6-3, 4-6, 10-7 triumph against Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski 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

Key Storylines

Djokovic Returns: The World No. 1 will compete in his second tour-level event of the season when he takes to court at the Masters 1000 event. Djokovic, who earned wins against Lorenzo Musetti and Karen Khachanov in Dubai in February, has enjoyed success in Monte-Carlo previously, lifting the trophy in 2013 and 2015. However, the 34-year-old was knocked out in the third round last season, losing to Briton Daniel Evans.

All Eyes On Alcaraz: #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Monte-Carlo high in confidence, having lifted the trophy at the Miami Open presented by Itau last week. The 18-year-old is up to a career-high of No. 11 in the ATP Rankings following that title run, which made him the youngest men’s champion in the 37-year history of the event. Alcaraz will be making his debut in Monte-Carlo, having been outside Top 100 when the event was held last year.

Stan Is Back: Stan Wawrinka will return to action in Monte-Carlo having not competed at a tour-level event since last March due to injury. After receiving a wild card into the event, the former World No. 3 will once again light up the action with his eye-catching backhand and devastating forehand at a tournament he won in 2014.

Reigning Champion Tsitsipas: The Greek broke new ground when he soared to his maiden Masters 1000 crown in Monte-Carlo in 2021. The World No. 5, who beat Andrey Rublev in the final, is yet to win a title this season though, with his best result a run to the championship match in Rotterdam. Tsitsipas will be aiming to change that record and create more fond memories at the event.

Rublev & Felix Target More Success: Top 10 pair Andrey Rublev and Felix Auger-Aliassime have both enjoyed strong starts to the season, winning three tour-level titles between them. Rublev has captured 10 tour-level crowns in his career, but is yet to find the winning formula at Masters 1000 level, losing finals in Monte-Carlo and Cincinnati last year. Auger-Aliassime lifted his maiden tour-level title in Rotterdam earlier this year and will be eager to replicate that level in Monte-Carlo, where he has never been beyond the second round in three previous appearances.

Did You Know?
The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters is the first of three Masters 1000 tournaments played on clay. Spaniard Rafael Nadal has won the title 11 times, including an Open-Era record eight successive times between 2005 and 2012.

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Goffin Records 300th Win, Reaches Marrakech QFs

  • Posted: Apr 07, 2022

Goffin Records 300th Win, Reaches Marrakech QFs

Carballes Baena & Coria advance

David Goffin earned his 300th tour-level win Thursday, edging Spaniard Pablo Andujar 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech.

The Belgian’s first victory on Tour came back in January 2011, when he defeated Somdev Devvarman in the first round in Chennai. Since then, the 31-year-old has captured five tour-level titles and risen to a career-high No. 7 in the ATP Rankings.

In a hard-fought battle against three-time Marrakech champion Andujar, Goffin rallied as he found his range as the match went on, saving all three break points he faced in the third set to advance after two hours and 49 minutes.

“It was a typical clay-court match, with some breaks when serving for sets,” Goffin said in his post-match interview. “That is what I need at the beginning of the clay-court season. I am happy with the way I was able to stay calm after losing the first set. I continued to stay positive and stay calm and do my best and in the end I managed to turn it around.”

The World No. 74 now leads Andujar 3-1 in their ATP Head2Head series and will play Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena in his second quarter-final of the season. Goffin also advanced to the last eight at the Sydney Tennis Classic in January, where he retired during his match against former World No. 1 Andy Murray.

“I am here to play tough matches so it will be another fight tomorrow and I will try to do my best,” Goffin added. “Hopefully I will be able to play another good match.”

Carballes Baena eliminated Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-2, 7-6(4) to reach his first tour-level quarter-final of the year. Meanwhile, Argentine Federico Coria overcame Bosnian qualifier Mirza Basic 6-4, 6-2 to set up a meeting with either Richard Gasquet or qualifier Pavel Kotov.

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Kyrgios Wins ‘One Of Better Matches I’ve Played On Clay’ In Houston

  • Posted: Apr 07, 2022

Kyrgios Wins ‘One Of Better Matches I’ve Played On Clay’ In Houston

Opelka still to play on Wednesday evening

Nick Kyrgios is showing no rust on clay.

Before arriving in Houston, the Australian had not competed on the surface since 2019. However, the wild card has played well on the red dirt, and on Wednesday he defeated American Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.

“He’s a very good player. He’s young and he’s already shown what he can do and who he can beat,” Kyrgios said in his on-court interview. “I had to be locked in today and I knew that I had to serve well. It’s probably one of the better matches I’ve played on clay in my career, so I’m pretty happy with the way I came out here today, just put my head down and went to work.”

Paul is a proven clay-court competitor, having won the 2015 Roland Garros boys’ singles title. But Kyrgios was in control throughout the 70-minute match, in which he saved all six break points he faced. The 26-year-old hit 10 aces and won 88 per cent of his first-serve points to earn a quarter-final clash against lucky loser Michael Mmoh.

“I’ve been serving really well, so I just wanted to keep to good habits,” Kyrgios said.

The American, who moved into the draw when Casper Ruud withdrew due to tooth pain, defeated countryman Sam Querrey 6-2, 6-4 in 75 minutes. Mmoh will try to reach his first ATP Tour semi-final.

Top Seeds Ebden/Purcell Advance In Doubles
Australian Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell, who made this year’s Australian Open final, cruised past home favourites Steve Johnson and Querrey 6-2, 6-2 to earn a spot in the quarter-finals. The second seeds, however, did not have the same success.

Americans Robert Galloway and Jackson Withrow upset Mexico’s Santiago Gonzalez and former doubles World No. 1 Lukasz Kubot 6-4, 6-4. Serbian twins Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov also advanced with a 3-6, 6-3, 10-7 win against Treat Huey and Denis Kudla.

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