Alexander Zverev navigated a tricky opening match at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday, beating #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 6-4.

The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion, who reached the semi-finals in the Principality last year (l. to Nishikori), converted six of seven break points to book his place in the third round. Zverev has now collected seven wins from 10 matches at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.

In one of the picks of the second round, Zverev made 96 per cent of returns to apply consistent pressure to his opponent and claim his second victory on clay this year. Auger-Aliassime entered the match with great confidence, having risen 75 spots in the ATP Rankings already this year, following runs to the Rio Open presented by Claro final (l. to Djere) and the Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finals (l. to Isner). But Zverev quickly proved why he has reached three of the past four ATP Masters 1000 finals on this surface, notching his 12th victory of the year after one hour and 18 minutes.

“Obviously he’s a great player with a lot of confidence,” said Zverev. “This year he’s one of the best players on tour.  He’s Top 10 in the Race [To London] or something like that. You know semi-finals in Miami, as well, so he knows how to play on a big stage. I knew coming in that it wasn’t going to be an easy match. I’m just happy to get through and to get a quality match in.” Watch Full Interview

Zverev can complete the set of clay Masters 1000 titles in Monte-Carlo this week. In 2017, Zverev defeated Novak Djokovic at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia to capture his maiden Masters 1000 crown and also triumphed last year at the Mutua Madrid Open (d. Thiem) with a dominant week on serve, facing just one break point en route to the title.

Zverev got off to the perfect start on Court Rainier III, setting the tone with a cross-court backhand passing shot to break in the opening game. From 2-1, the 21-year-old claimed 16 of the next 18 points, which included two love service breaks, to take a one-set lead after 30 minutes.

Auger-Aliassime responded well in the second set, attacking Zverev’s backhand at 1-1 to break serve for the first time. But the Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finalist surrendered his break advantage at 3-2 with his fourth double fault. Both men failed to hold their next service games, before Zverev held serve and capitalised on a forehand error from Auger-Aliassime to claim victory with his sixth break of the match.

This is the second straight year that Auger-Aliassime has been eliminated in Monaco by a member of the Zverev family. The Canadian, who made his event debut at No. 175 in the ATP Rankings last year, fell in three sets to the World No. 3’s older brother, Mischa Zverev.

Zverev will play Fabio Fognini for a quarter-final spot. Fognini advanced to third round by walk over, following the withdrawal of Gilles Simon (back injury). The Monte-Carlo resident leads Fognini 2-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, with wins at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and the China Open in 2017.

In a rematch of this year’s Open 13 Provence final, Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 7-5 to open his Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters campaign on Wednesday.

The #NextGenATP Greek scored his first win on clay this year, firing 22 winners to advance after one hour and 42 minutes. Following his third win over the Kazakh in as many FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, Tsitsipas has claimed 18 wins from 25 tour-level matches this season.

Tsitsipas’ last win over Kukushkin, in this year’s Marseille championship match, proved to be the springboard towards a place in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. The two-time ATP Tour titlist claimed his spot in the elite group one week later, following his run to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship final (l. to Federer). The World No. 8 has risen 63 spots in the past year, having entered Monte-Carlo as a No. 71-ranked qualifier last season.

“There are players out there that want to beat me badly and want the same piece of maybe glory that I want,” said Tsitsipas. “So it’s going to be very difficult to stay concentrated and focused, but once I get there, I think there is nothing that can stop me, because I feel like I can play really good on clay.”

The 20-year-old will be aiming to reach his sixth tour-level quarter-final of the year when he meets Daniil Medvedev in the third round. Tsitsipas owns a 0-3 FedEx ATPHead2Head record against the Russian, who defeated Delray Beach Open champion Radu Albot 6-1, 6-2.

“[Daniil] has a different game than other players. He has a good serve… it can get really aggressive and frustrating to return,” said Tsitsipas.

“He’s maybe a baseliner who likes to play a bit behind the baseline. He’s a good defender for his height… I just have to play every single shot that comes to me as if there is no other player on the other side of the court.”

Medvedev now owns a Tour-leading 19 victories this year (19-6) after cruising past Albot in 69 minutes. The 23-year-old converted six of eight break points to advance to the third round for the first time.

Medvedev has dropped only five games in his first two matches at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. In his first-round match, the Russian defeated Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-1, 6-1.

Taylor Fritz needed 86 minutes to upset Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-2. The 21-year-old American will meet World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the third round.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert stunned last year’s finalist Kei Nishikori 7-5, 6-4 at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday to reach the third round for the first time.

The Open Sud de France runner-up found his best level in the big moments, saving all 10 break points he faced to advance after one hour and 42 minutes. Herbert’s first victory over Nishikori in three FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters is also the Frenchman’s first Top 10 victory on clay. Herbert owns a 3-11 overall record against Top 10 opposition.

“This was a very nice victory. Probably one of the nicest on clay and probably one of the nicest of my career, so I am really excited about it,” said Herbert.

“I’m very happy for this victory, but we shouldn’t exaggerate. I had 10 break points that I had to save and I’m happy that I managed to play good in the difficult points. It was tricky, because it wouldn’t have taken much for him to take the advantage.”

Herbert will meet ninth seed Borna Coric for a place in the quarter-finals. The World No. 49, who is aiming to reach his third quarter-final this year, lost his only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head clash against Coric at the 2017 Mutua Madrid Open. Alongside his run to the Open Sud de France championship match (l. to Tsonga), Herbert opened his season with a run to the last eight at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open (l. to Berdych).

“[Coric] has spent lots of time on clay, so it’s going to be a big challenge tomorrow for me,” said Herbert. “Again, I’m not going to be the favourite, of course, but on my side, I also won two difficult matches, so why not?”

On Court 2, Cameron Norrie captured his 10th tour-level victory of the season (10-8). The 23-year-old, who reached the ASB Classic final in January (l. to Sandgren), defeated Marton Fucsovics 7-6(3), 6-3.

Norrie will face Lorenzo Sonego for a quarter-final berth. The Italian qualifier stunned eighth seed Karen Khachanov 7-6(4), 6-4 on Tuesday.

The clay-court season has been Rafael Nadal’s time to shine for nearly 15 years. Should 2019 be any different? Many fans and pundits believe that the Spaniard is poised to continue his feast of titles and ATP Rankings points. The tennis world will certainly be watching Wednesday as Rafa plays his opening match at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters against countryman Roberto Bautista Agut.  

The Spaniard has racked up 51,475 ATP Rankings points during the European spring clay swing from 2005-2018. He first earned more than 5,000 ATP Rankings points during this stretch in 2010, when he became the first and only player to complete the “Clay Slam” by winning Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.

Note: Points values at tournaments increased to current levels in 2008.

During the past 14 years, the Spaniard has earned more ATP Rankings points during the eight-week spring clay swing than almost every other player has earned throughout 14 full seasons. Only Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray have earned more than 51,475 points from 2005-2018. The “Big Four” and David Ferrer are the only active players who have earned more than 40,000 ATP Rankings points during this time.

Nadal has amassed 46 titles during the European spring clay swing, including 11 Roland Garros titles and 24 ATP Masters 1000 crowns. He holds the record for most titles (11) at any Grand Slam (Roland Garros), Masters 1000 (Monte-Carlo) and 500-level event (Barcelona). Monte-Carlo has been Nadal’s strongest Masters 1000 event by far, allowing him to hold the records for the most consecutive titles at any single tournament (8) and longest match-wins streak at any event (46).

The World No. 2 will look to add to his ATP Rankings tally when he starts his 2019 clay-court campaign Wednesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters where he seeks an unprecedented 12th title at the event. He is also looking to add to the record 33 Masters 1000 titles he has won.

“This has always been a very special place for me,” said Nadal of Monte-Carlo during the draw ceremony. “I watched all of the great champions here as a kid, so it was always a dream for me to be here.”

After Nadal’s amazing run in last year’s spring clay swing, which saw him win four titles and post a 24-1 record, he will need to produce an equally impressive display this year if he wants to stay competitive in his quest to regain the No. 1 ATP Ranking. If history is any indication, the Spaniard should produce plenty of memorable moments over the next two months.

When Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert hit his final forehand on Monday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters to defeat Spaniard Fernando Verdasco for the first time on his fourth attempt, it was more than a typical victory; it was one full of emotion.

The 28-year-old did not simply sign his name on the television camera, but he wrote ‘Notre Dame’ with a broken heart underneath it. Tragedy struck on Monday when the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris caught fire, burning deep into the night.

“I think many French were affected by what happened in Paris, Notre-Dame. And when we are French and we enjoy Paris, this beautiful city, we are proud of Paris. And when we see Notre-Dame on fire and the spire crumbling down, that was really shocking for me yesterday evening,” Herbert said. “I said to myself that if ever I won, I would like to send a message of love for Notre-Dame that was crumbling down and that I was very affected yesterday evening.”

The cathedral was completed nearly 700 years ago, and has been a popular tourist attraction for countless people around the world.

“The Notre-Dame Cathedral is just emblematic and wonderful, so when you arrive in Paris you just admire the beauty of Notre-Dame,” Herbert told ATP Tennis Radio. 

ATP Tennis Radio Speaks To Herbert About The Fire:

The fire did not just emotionally touch the Frenchmen playing in Monte-Carlo, though. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic saw the news late Monday night and while he has not discussed it with the French players yet, he did talk about the tragedy with his team.

“It’s one of the most iconic cultural, religious infrastructures in Europe. It’s quite shocking to see that. As I understood, I also saw that simultaneously, at the same time in Jerusalem, a mosque was burning, as well,” Djokovic said. “It’s really sad seeing those iconic buildings and structures fall like that. I’m sending my prayers and of course my best wishes to Parisians, all French people. Hopefully Notre-Dame will rise again.”

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal has not spoken to the press since the incident, but he shared his support via social media on Monday evening, saying, “Going to sleep still under shock with the images we see in Paris. All my support to all Parisians and French people and authorities.”

Going to sleep still under shock with the images we see in Paris. All my support to all Parisians and French people and authorities. @PompiersParis @notredameparis #NotreDamedeParis

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) April 15, 2019

Frenchman Gilles Simon has two sons, and he just took them for a ride on the Seine River last month to show them the views, including the Notre-Dame Cathedral.

“I think that, like everybody else, I was really sad,” Simon said. “Of course I saw the images, and it’s a real pity.

“[It’s also] what it means to people from the world, I would say. Paris is Paris. So many people like to come and visit so I think many people are sad,” Simon told Tennis Channel. “Of course I was living there one month ago. I was on the boat, on La Seine going around and showing it to my kids… we are lucky to have this and we are all extremely sad and depressed about what happened.”

Listen TO ATP Tennis Radio’s Interview With Simon:

Another Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, echoed similar sentiments to his countryman. The former World No. 5 may have retired from his match against American Taylor Fritz, but he knows there are bigger things than a tennis match, like the tragedy in Paris.

“It is something that is really sad for the French people but also for everybody, for the whole world, actually, because this was a monument that was well known all over the world,” Tsonga said. “It was really special in Paris, therefore in France, so we are really proud of that monument. We are really sad of what happened yesterday.”

After eight games, Marco Cecchinato was still aiming to get on the scoreboard against Stan Wawrinka at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Tuesday.

But the 26-year-old Cecchinato, who had to break serve at 0-6, 4-5, to stay in the match, pulled off a remarkable comeback to stun 2014 champion Wawrinka 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 in one hour and 44 minutes. Cecchinato was clinical in important moments, converting all three break points he earned to reach the third round in the Principality for the first time.

The 11th seed, who is currently competing at a career-high 16th in the ATP Rankings, continues to add to his growing reputation on clay courts. The Italian has lifted three ATP Tour titles on clay in the past 12 months and also upset Novak Djokovic en route to the Roland Garros semi-finals last year.

Cecchinato will meet Guido Pella for a spot in the last eight. The Palermo native owns a 2-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Pella, which includes a 6-2, 7-6(4) victory in last year’s Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag final.

Did You Know?
Cecchinato won just five service points in the first set, managing to capture only nine per cent (1/11) of his second-serve points against Wawrinka. In the second and third sets, the Italian won 65 per cent (13/20) of his second-serve points.

Eleven-time champion Rafael Nadal leads the way on a busy Wednesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, which also features Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem and 2018 runner-up Kei Nishikori in second-round matches on Court Rainier III. 

Nadal opens up his campaign for a fourth straight Monte-Carlo title against fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut. The second seed leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-0 and dropped just 12 games in the five sets they’ve played. Nadal is a perfect 15-0 in his opening-round matches in Monte-Carlo and hasn’t lost before the quarter-finals in his past 14 appearances. 

World No. 3 Zverev, a winner of three ATP Masters 1000 titles, faces fast-rising Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in their first FedEx ATP Head2Head clash. The 18-year-old Auger-Aliassime became the first player born in the 2000s to break into the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings following his recent semi-final run at the Miami Open presented by Itau. Zverev has enjoyed past Monte-Carlo success by reaching the semi-finals last year. The German seeks another big run at this event after a disappointing second-round exit last week at the Grand Prix Hassan II.

Who will win the maiden @FedEx ATP Head2Head clash between these players?

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) April 16, 2019

Fourth seed Thiem opens his clay-court season with a tricky match against veteran Martin Klizan of Slovakia. Klizan leads their FedEx ATP HeadHead rivalry 3-1 and has won both of their previous meetings on clay, but the Austrian won their most recent match last September in St. Petersburg. Thiem is riding high on confidence after winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title last month at the BNP Paribas Open (d. Federer).

Fifth seed Nishikori kicks off play on Court Rainier III against Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France. The Japanese star used his runner-up finish last year in Monte-Carlo as a springboard back into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. Nishikori leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Herbert 2-0, but the Frenchman is playing some of his best tennis and reached his career-high ATP Ranking of No. 36 just two months ago.

Other notable matches on Wednesday include sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece against Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan, 10th seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia squaring off with Radu Albot of Moldova, and 13th seed Fabio Fognini of Italy taking on Gilles Simon of France.

Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Rafa’s Monte-Carlo History?
Read: Zverev On Felix & Shapovalov: ‘They Will Be On Top’ 

ORDER OF PLAY – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019

COURT RAINIER III start 11:00 am
[5] Kei Nishikori (JPN) vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) 
[WC] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs [3] Alexander Zverev (GER) 
Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) vs [2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) 
[4] Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs Martin Klizan (SVK) 

COURT DES PRINCES start 11:00 am
Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) vs [6] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 
Not Before 12:00 noon
[13] Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs Gilles Simon (FRA) 
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) vs Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 
Dusan Lajovic (SRB) vs [16] David Goffin (BEL) 

COURT 2 start 11:00 am
[10] Daniil Medvedev (RUS) vs Radu Albot (MDA) 
Not Before 12:00 pm
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) vs Cameron Norrie (GBR) 
After Suitable Rest – Robin Haase (NED) / Wesley Koolhof (NED) vs Alexander Zverev (GER) / Mischa Zverev (GER) 

COURT 9 start 11:00 am
[3] Jamie Murray (GBR) / Bruno Soares (BRA) vs Ivan Dodig (CRO) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) 
Taylor Fritz (USA) vs Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 
[7] Nikola Mektic (CRO) / Franko Skugor (CRO) vs Karen Khachanov (RUS) / Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 

COURT 11 start 12:00 noon
Marcel Granollers (ESP) / Marc Lopez (ESP) vs [2] Lukasz Kubot (POL) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) 
[5] Oliver Marach (AUT) / Mate Pavic (CRO) vs Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) / Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 

When Rafael Nadal was asked to name some of the players to watch during this European clay-court swing, he immediately referenced the #NextGenATP. And from that group, the first player he named was 18-year-old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

“That’s a good sign, of course, if he’s talking good about me. It’s great,” said Auger-Aliassime Tuesday after his first-round win at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. “To start with, that he knows me, that he talks about me, it’s just amazing, because I used to watch him playing on TV, and the distance between he and me was so huge that it was just impossible to be able to play or to be around him at a certain point. So this is really amazing.”

Felix has rapidly ascended the ATP Rankings in 2019, reaching the final in Rio de Janeiro and the semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Miami to help him climb from 108th to his career-high of 33rd. But the teenager is not taking any of this for granted.

“I have to work hard, to keep on working hard, as I suppose he did when he was my age,” Auger-Aliassime said. “He worked hard. He won titles. Now it’s up to me to keep on working.”

Felix’s popularity has continued to increase with every big win he earns. But this is nothing new for the teenager, who broke onto the scene by winning an ATP Challenger Tour match at 14.

“This is not a recent phenomenon, but it is true that this is of a higher scale. I had to adapt to it,” Auger-Aliassime said. “But it’s not a big deal. I mean, you just have to remain the same. I just be the same, follow my routine, so this is not really a problem for me.”

Auger-Aliassime will have a chance to earn his biggest victory yet by ATP Ranking on Wednesday when he faces 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev. Felix claimed his first Top 10 win last month in Indian Wells by defeating reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“I think this is a good opportunity. He’s the one who’s more or less the leader of the new generation of tennis players. It’s been a while since he’s been around, so he’s got lots of experience already,” Auger-Aliassime said of Zverev. “So for me, this is going to be a great opportunity to play against him and to see how I do against him. I believe in my tennis. I am going to try to do my best, and I’m very hopeful that I will adjust my play to his. I’m going to try to dictate the game.”

Zverev is well aware of Felix’s rise, despite being three years older than the Canadian. The World No. 3 expects a tough test in his Monte-Carlo opener.

“He’s been one of the best young guys on Tour this year. He made the semis in Miami, made the final in Rio,” Zverev said. “I’m very happy for him because he’s one of the most humble and nicest guys that I know… he’s still young but when he was just starting and the first few times that everybody saw him on the Tour he was always very polite and always very positive.”

This might be the first FedEx ATP Head2Head match between Auger-Aliassime and Zverev, but it certainly won’t be the last. Felix looks forward to competing against Zverev as well as #NextGenATP stars for years to come.

“Of course this is motivating for one another. It would be stupid to think that we don’t need any opponent, because otherwise there is no rivalry, there is no matches. We all need the other one to play high-level tennis,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Each one of us is playing good and we of course want to be winning. At least personally I find this is very motivating. And I will be able to play against Zverev tomorrow, and that’s going to be good.”

Novak Djokovic is no stranger to milestone wins, but the World No. 1 secured another landmark victory on Tuesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The two-time former champion was made to work hard for his 850th tour-level win on Court Rainier III, beating Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 36 minutes. Keen to avoid a second loss to the German at ATP Masters 1000 level this year, Djokovic saved 12 of 16 break points to improve to 9-2 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Kohlschreiber.

“I had ups and downs and in a way felt a bit rusty on the court. I had a tough opponent, of course. Philipp beat me in Indian Wells. It was a match that happened less than a month ago, so of course it was in the back of my mind a bit,” said Djokovic. “I thought I should have maybe stepped in and played a bit more aggressive in the second set, but credit to him for mixing up the pace and playing well.

“I’ll take this win. Hopefully I can play slightly better in the next round, because if I want to go deep in the tournament, I definitely have to up my game.”

At the BNP Paribas Open last month, Kohlschreiber overcame Djokovic 6-4, 6-4 in the third round. Djokovic entered the match on an eight-match winning streak, following his record-breaking seventh Australian Open triumph in January.

Djokovic is attempting to claim his third title at the Monte-Carlo Country Club this week. The 31-year-old has reached four championship matches at this event, lifting the trophy in 2013 (d. Nadal) and 2015 (d. Berdych). If Djokovic captures his third Monaco crown, he will match Rafael Nadal’s record haul of 33 Masters 1000 titles.

The top seed was put under pressure early in the opening set, but found the corners and benefitted from a mid-court Kohlschreiber forehand error to escape from 15/40 down at 2-2 and 3-3. Djokovic claimed the only break of the set at 4-3 with consistent depth from the baseline, extracting errors from his opponent before serving out the opener to love after 45 minutes.

Neither man was able to find comfort on serve in the second set, with seven consecutive games being won by the returning player. Djokovic recovered from a break down on three occasions to serve at 4-5, but was broken for the fourth time in a row after a series of forehand errors.

The two-time champion extended the streak of service breaks to eight games with depth and heavy topspin on his forehand in the opening game of the decider. Djokovic maintained his advantage through to 5-4, where he claimed victory after Kohlschreiber fired a backhand return long.

“In a way it’s good I got to spend two-and-a-half hours on the court in my first opening match in the clay court season,” said Djokovic. “This surface is very demanding physically. 

“Tactically, as well, you have to construct the point, be more patient [and] put more spin into the ball… I think from the positive side, it’s actually good that I got to have that much match play, because I did play a lot of practice sets and so forth, but it’s just completely different [to] when you are nervous and playing an official match.”

In the third round, Djokovic will await the winner between Argentine Diego Schwartzman and American Taylor Fritz. The 21-year-old Fritz was leading Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 2-0 on Court Rainier III when the Frenchman was forced to retire.