Lorenzo Musetti beat Arthur Fils 6-3 7-5 to set up a third round match against world number 1 Novak Djokovic at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
Musetti won 12 of the first 14 points and earned his first break in the second game to open up a 3-0 lead. Musetti won his next service games and served out on his third set point.
Musetti converted his second break point in the third game to take a 2-1 lead after a forehand error from Fils. The Italian player earned a double break in the seventh game to open up a 5-2 lead.
Musetti served for the match at 5-2 and 5-4, but he won just point across both service games. Fils pulled both breaks back to draw level to 5-5. Musetti earned his third break in the 11th game to earn a chance to serve out for the match. Musetti served out the win on his third match point after 1 hour and 40 minutes. Musetti clinched his 100th tour-level match.
Musetti will play against Djokovic in a re-make of last year’s edition of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, where the Italian player beat his Serbian rival 4-6 7-6 6-4-
Alexander Zverev beat Sebastian Ofner 6-3 6-4 to reach the third round. Zverev earned his first break to 30 in the fourth game and held serve to love to take a 4-1 lead. Ofner saved four break points to hold serve in the sixth game at deuce for 2-4. Zverev held his next service games to seal the first set 6-3.
Zverev broke serve in the fifth and seventh games to race out to a 5-2 lead. Ofner pulled one break back in the eighth game for 3-5. Zverev sealed the win on his first match point. Zverev hit 11 winners to 10 unforced errors.
Sebastian Korda eased past 2022 Monte-Carlo finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-2. Korda set up a second round match against Jannik Sinner. Korda broke twice in the second and fourth games and served it out on his second set point. Korda broke twice in the third and fifth games to open up a 4-1 lead. Davidovich Fokina pulled one of the breaks back in the sixth game for 2-4. Korda broke for the third game in the eighth game and sealed the win on first match point.
Miomir Kecmanovic cruised past Matteo Berrettini 6-3 6-1 in 75 minutes to set up a third round match against this year’s Miami Open finalist Grigor Dimitrov.
Berrettini beat Roberto Carballes Baena in the final of the Marrakesh tournament last Sunday to win his first ATP Tour since his triumph at Queen’s in 2022.
Kecmanovic earned his first break to take a 2-1 lead, but Berrettini broke straight back to draw level to 2-2. Kecmanovic broke for the second time in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. The Serbian player held his next service games and closed out the first set 6-3 with a second break.
Kecmanovic broke twice in the second and fourth games to race to a 4-0 lead and served out the win on his first match point.
Hubert Hurkacz battled past Jack Draper 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-2) on Court de Princes after 2 hours and 24 minutes.
Hurkacz converted his third break point in the second game and held serve at 15 to open up a 3-0 lead. Draper broke back in the seventh game and held serve at love to draw level to 4-4. Hurkacz broke for the second time in the 10th game to win the first set 6-4. Draper broke twice in the fifth and ninth games to seal the second set 6-3 forcing the match to the decider. Hurkacz broke serve in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. Draper broke back in the 10th game to draw level to 5-5. Draper earned three mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-2.
Gael Monfils came back from one set down to beat Australian lucky loser Aleksandar Vukic 6-7 (7-9) 6-3 7-5.
Monfils broke serve in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. Vukic broke back in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Monfils went up a 5-3 lead, but did not convert his set point at 6-5. Vukic earned four mini-breaks to win the tie-break 9-7. Monfils earned a break in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. The Frenchman saved a break point in both the fourth and sixth games. He held his serve until 5-3 and broke serve on his third set point.
Vukic broke twice in the first and fifth games to open up a 4-1 lead in the third set, but Monfils came back by winning four consecutive games with two breaks of serve to take a 5-4 lead. The Frenchman closed out with a down the line on his first match points with a backhand winner. Monfils set up a second round match against Danil Medvedev.
