Arriving at the Millennium Estoril Open without a win since mid-February, Dominic Thiem showcased all of his resilience to battle to first-round victory on Tuesday at the clay-court ATP 250 in Portugal.

Thiem defeated his fellow Austrian Sebastian Ofner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to clinch his first triumph in five tour-level events. The 29-year-old made a shaky start but broke his No. 122-ranked opponent twice in each of the second and third sets to prevail in a two-hour, five-minute encounter and set a second-round showdown against #NextGenATP American Ben Shelton.

The World No. 111 Thiem converted five of 16 break points he earned against Ofner, which proved enough to close out victory and improve his ATP Head2Head series lead against his countryman to 3-0. Some flashes of trademark brilliance, particularly off his backhand win, helped engineer the turnaround.

Thiem holds a 2-8 record for the year after Tuesday’s win, which he will hope is the catalyst for improved results. The Austrian, who reached the Roland Garros final in 2018 and 2019, has historically excelled on clay. He has won 10 of his 17 tour-level crowns on the surface.

Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew from the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Tuesday due to injury.

Nadal is an 11-time champion in the Principality, where he has earned a 73-6 record. The Spaniard wrote on Instagram Stories that he is not ready to compete for the first time since the Australian Open, where he suffered a grade 2 injury in the iliopsoas muscle of his left leg. 

“Unfortunately I am still not ready to compete and will miss one of those special tournaments I always love to play,” Nadal wrote. “Monte Carlo is and has been a key event on my career, but unfortunately I will have to miss it again since I am still not ready to compete without the risk of getting injured. I will continue the long process of getting ready to come back.”

 

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Alcaraz, who is 18-2 on the season and fresh off a title at Indian Wells and semi-final showing in Miami, revealed two things that will keep him out of the season’s first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event.

“After two months abroad, I am happy to return home but sad because I finished my last match in Miami with physical discomfort. After visiting my doctor @drlopezmartinez in Murcia today and being evaluated, I will not be able to go to Monte Carlo to start the clay court tour,” Alcaraz wrote on Twitter. “I have post-traumatic arthritis in my left hand and muscular discomfort in the spine that needs rest to prepare for everything that is to come. See you in 2024 @ROLEXMCMASTERS!”

After two months abroad, I am happy to return home but sad because I finished my last match in Miami with physical discomfort. After visiting my doctor @drlopezmartinez in Murcia today and being evaluated, I will not be able to go to Monte Carlo to start the clay court tour. pic.twitter.com/UsJzejm1WC

— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) April 4, 2023

Auger-Aliassime, who reached the quarter-finals at Indian Wells and the third round in Miami, has a left knee injury.

“Unfortunately I have to announce my retirement from the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters this year. It is an event that I look forward to each year,” Auger-Aliassime wrote on Twitter. “However, I have been struggling with my left knee for the past few weeks and decided it was the smartest decision to take some time off so I’m able to fully heal and recover before my next tournament at the Mutua Madrid Open. Thank you as always for your support and I look forward too seeing you back on court soon.”

Update 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/GwEKNU2VgB

— Félix AugerAliassime (@felixtennis) April 4, 2023

Ben Shelton added to his season of firsts in confident style on Tuesday at the Millennium Estoril Open, where the #NextGenATP American prevailed 7-5, 7-5 against Constant Lestienne in his first professional singles match on red clay.

Until he competed in a first-round doubles match on Monday at the clay-court ATP 250, Shelton represented a rare case of a Top 40 singles player who had never competed professionally on the surface. The World No. 39 played two ITF World Tennis Tour events on green clay in 2021 but had previously only competed on hard courts on the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour.

Despite falling to defeat in that doubles match alongside his former University of Florida Gators teammate Duarte Vale, Shelton showed few nerves upon returning a day later for his first-round singles match. The eighth seed took down the World No. 63 Lestienne in 95 minutes in Portugal.

The American earned decisive breaks of Lestienne’s serve in the 11th game of both sets to improve to 7-6 for the year. The tall lefty’s serve proved crucial to the win, with Shelton’s ability to give extra kick to his delivery a major factor in him winning 83 per cent (35/42) of points behind his first serve.

Shelton reached the quarter-finals at January’s Australian Open, during his first trip leaving the United States. His trip to Portugal represents his first time in Europe, and the 20-year-old acknowledged he was relishing another new experience in his whirlwind introduction to life on the ATP Tour.

“I’m really happy to be here in Portugal,” said Shelton in his on-court interview. “I want to thank the whole crowd for their support today. I was hearing the chants. I’m really enjoying my time here, so hopefully I can keep it going.”

Shelton will face former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem in his second-round match in Estoril. The 17-time tour-level titlist Thiem beat his fellow Austrian Sebastian Ofner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 later on Tuesday.

Sixth seed Miomir Kecmanovic also prevailed in straight sets on Tuesday. The Serbian eased past Luca Nardi 6-4, 6-1 on his Estoril debut, converting five of 11 break points he earned en route to his ninth tour-level victory of the year.

Kecmanovic will take on 2021 champion Albert Ramos-Vinolas or Jurij Rodionov in the second round, where Hubert Hurkacz will meet Bernabe Zapata Miralles. Spain’s Zapata Miralles booked a clash against the second-seeded Hurkacz with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Portuguese qualifier Henrique Rocha.

Jason Kubler hit with Fernando Verdasco when he was 14 years old. On Monday, they met in ATP Tour action for the first time.

The Australian Kubler defeated the former Top 10 star Verdasco 7-6(7), 6-0 to reach the second round of the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship.

“It was an honour to play Fernando. I’ve looked up to him for a long time,” Kubler said. “I remember when I was 14 and I got to hit with him in my hometown. Ever since then I’ve sort of followed his career because I felt like you actually made contact with one of the stars you watch on TV.”

Verdasco, who lifted the Houston trophy in 2014, earned an early break of serve. But Kubler battled back and once he won the first-set tie-break, he was able to surge ahead.

“The match was super close [in the] first set. It was both of our first matches on clay for the year so it’s always going to be a little bit tricky,” Kubler said. “I was trying to find my feet out there, maybe made a few errors where I was a bit surprised myself. But happy with how the second set went. Hopefully it’s going to be a long tournament, so getting sets like that is good.”

The Australian will next play Daniel Elahi Galan, who eliminated Zhang Zhizhen 6-2, 6-3.

In other action Dutchman Gijs Brouwer, a Houston native, ousted American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-4. Another American, Denis Kudla clawed past Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Holger Rune and Patrick Mouratoglou announced Monday that they ended their full-time collaboration.

“Thank you so much for your help to the team, Patrick🙏🏽 It’s been great learning for me on many levels on and off court and a lot of good energy😀,” Rune wrote on Instagram. “I will take all your advice with me onwards 🦾See you soon at the academy.”

 

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Last October, Rune announced Mouratoglou, who has coached stars including Serena Williams, would join his team for the rest of the season. The Dane went on to triumph in Stockholm and claim his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Paris. Mouratoglou shared his own post on social media Monday.

“Holger! We’ve successfully completed our mission and ended up having an incredible 6-month adventure, exceeding our original plan of 3 months,” Mouratoglou wrote. “It was a pleasure to share this journey with you. Your energy and enthusiasm made it even more special.

“I have no doubt that your bright future holds amazing things. I remain your biggest fan and I keep an eye on you with the @mouratoglou_tennis_academy team.”

 

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With the help of a local legend, Hugo Gaston made a winning debut appearance at the Grand Prix Hassan II on Monday in Marrakech.

The Frenchman, who is undergoing a coaching trial with Moroccan former World No. 14 Younes El Aynaoui, defeated Jan-Lennard Struff 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 for his first tour-level victory of 2023.

The 22-year-old Gaston clinched a closely fought contest by sealing the only break of the deciding set in the 11th game. He went on to wrap a two-hour, seven-minute triumph during which both players converted two of four break points.

Gaston will take on top seed Lorenzo Musetti in the second round at the clay-court ATP 250 as he chases his first tour-level quarter-final appearance since last June in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

In other opening-day action at the only ATP Tour event currently held on the African continent, Francesco Passaro also notched his first tour-level win of 2023 by downing former World No. 14 Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. The 22-year-old, a competitor at the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals, will take on sixth seed Richard Gasquet or Alexandre Muller next.

Jaume Munar enjoyed a straightforward start to his Marrakech campaign. The Spaniard downed home wild card Elliot Benchetrit 6-4, 6-4 to improve to 5-3 in tour-level matches on clay in 2023. The World No. 83, a quarter-finalist in Marrakech in 2019, next plays eighth seed Nicolas Jarry or qualifier Andrea Vavassori.

Alexei Popyrin also disappointed the home fans on Monday by defeating another Moroccan wild card, Younes Lalami Laaroussi, 6-3, 6-2. Popyrin converted five of seven break points he earned in his first clay-court match of the year to set a second-round clash against second seed Daniel Evans.

After his title run on event debut in 2022, Sebastian Baez retains only positive memories of the Millennium Estoril Open. Yet the Argentine knows he needs to stay focused if he wants to maintain his unbeaten record for another year at the clay-court ATP 250.

That was evident on Monday, when the defending champion had to dig deep for a 7-5, 7-6(3) victory against Radu Albot to advance to the second round in Portugal. Baez dropped serve four times in his two-hour, 13-minute win but engineered five breaks of his own to prevail in the pair’s maiden ATP Head2Head meeting.

“Always the first match [back on clay] is tough,” said Baez, who reached the third round on the hard courts of Indian Wells in his most recent ATP Tour event. “It was close. I know him, he is an experienced player… To take the win [I had to be] strong in difficult moments, because there is pressure for me [as the defending champion] of course.”

Baez trailed 2-5 in the second set but raised his game to force a tie-break which he proceeded to dominate. Having defeated home favourite and former champion Joao Sousa, Marin Cilic, and Frances Tiafoe en route to his first ATP Tour title in Estoril last year, the World No. 32 feels comfortable in his surroundings in southern Portugal, even if this year’s event is being held three weeks earlier in the season.

“I know it is a different time, because this year it is the first tournament on clay in the season,” said Baez. “It is a time difference, it is colder than last year. A different situation, but happy to be back.”

The 22-year-old’s second-round opponent will be his countryman Pedro Cachin, who defeated Chun-Hsin Tseng 6-4, 6-4.

There was an opening-day upset in Estoril as Marco Cecchinato took out the seventh-seeded Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 7-6(8) for his first Top 50 victory of 2023. The Italian crucially saved nine of 12 break points he faced against the No. 36-ranked Schwartzman to improve to 4-0 in tour-level opening rounds for the year.

Cecchinato’s two-hour, four-minute win set an all-Italian second-round clash against Fabio Fognini. The nine-time tour-level titlist Fognini enjoyed a comfortable debut in Estoril, where he raced past qualifier Alessandro Giannessi 6-2, 6-1.

A thrilling conclusion to the 2023 ‘Sunshine Double’ saw Daniil Medvedev triumph at the Miami Open presented by Itau to claim his fifth ATP Masters 1000 crown.

The win ensures the 27-year-old continues his recent steady upward trend in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, which are now topped by Novak Djokovic. Despite not competing in Miami, the Serbian replaces Carlos Alcaraz as World No. 1, after the Spaniard fell short of defending his crown at Hard Rock Stadium.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as of 3 April 2023.

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No. 4 Daniil Medvedev, +1
Having dropped to No. 12 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at the end of January, Medvedev has since racked up a 24-1 record across five hard-court events to re-establish himself in the Top 5. The 27-year-old dropped just one set en route to his maiden Miami Open presented by Itau crown, where he defeated Jannik Sinner in the championship match. The victory has lifted Medvedev one spot to No. 4. Read Miami Final Report & Watch Highlights.

No. 1 Novak Djokovic, +1
Despite not competing in Miami, Djokovic has risen to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for a record-extending 381st week. Defending champion Alcaraz’s defeat to Sinner in a dramatic three-set semi-final at the ATP Masters 1000 event meant the Spaniard dropped 640 points, enough for seven-time year-end No. 1 Djokovic to return to top spot.

No. 9 Jannik Sinner, +2
A stirring run to his second championship match appearance in Miami has propelled Sinner back into the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time since last September. The Italian defeated Grigor Dimitrov, Andrey Rublev, Emil Ruusuvuori and Alcaraz en route to the final, where Medvedev’s rock-solid baseline game ultimately proved too strong.

No. 11 Karen Khachanov, +5
A first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final appearance since 2019 has lifted Khachanov to the brink of a Top 10 return. The 26-year-old, who reached his career-high of No. 8 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 2019, notched his first Top 10 win in 24 attempts against Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the final four in Miami.

No. 37 Emil Ruusuvuori, +17 (Career High)
Emil Ruusuvuori reeled off a series of confident wins at Hard Rock Stadium to reach his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. The Finn dispatched Nuno Borges, Roberto Bautista Agut and Taro Daniel in straight sets before battling past Botic van de Zandschulp in a tense three-setter. Despite defeat to Sinner in the last eight, the 24-year-old Ruusuvuori springs 17 places to a career-high No. 37.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 18 Tommy Paul, +1 (Joint Career High)
No. 41 Jiri Lehecka, +3
No. 47 Lorenzo Sonego, +12
No. 49 Adrian Mannarino, +13
No. 51 Alex Molcan, +5
No. 68 Dusan Lajovic, +8
No. 74 Cristian Garin, +8
No. 85 Christopher Eubanks, +34 (Career High)
No. 86 Max Purcell, +13 (Career High)
No. 91 Luca Van Assche, +17 (Career High)