The first ATP Masters 1000 event of the clay court season is underway in Monte Carlo, with a mix of first and second round action taking place on Tuesday.
The singles draw in Monte Carlo features eight of the top 10 players in the world, including three-time and defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, as well as two-time champ Novak Djokovic. Tsitsipas plays his opening match on Tuesday, as does top-seeded Alexander Zverev, who takes on Matteo Berrettini. Other top seeds, including Djokovic, will play their opening matches on Wednesday.
Each day, this preview will analyze the most intriguing matchup, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Tuesday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Alexander Zverev (1) vs. Matteo Berrettini – Third on Court Rainier III
Since losing his third Major final at this past January’s Australian Open, and since World No.1 Jannik Sinner began serving his three-month doping suspension, the World No.2 has underperformed, as Zverev has a record of only 6-5. Four of Sascha’s six Masters 1000 titles have come on clay, but this remains the only Masters event on this surface that he is yet to win. And while he is a two-time semifinalist in Monte Carlo, he’s failed to advance beyond the third round in his other six appearances.
Despite being a resident of Monte Carlo, Berrettini is only 3-3 lifetime at this tournament, with his third victory coming on Monday over qualifier Mariano Navone. Matteo was 36-13 last season at all levels, but almost all those wins came at smaller events, as he was 1-5 at Masters level. However, just two weeks ago in Miami, the Italian reached his first Masters quarterfinal in almost four years, and was extremely close to coming-from-behind to beat Taylor Fritz and reach the semis.
Zverev leads their head-to-head 4-2 overall, and 2-1 on clay. This will be their first clay court meeting since 2021, when Sascha came from a set down to defeat Matteo in the final of the Madrid Masters. Even so, this is a huge opportunity for Berrettini to upset a struggling Zverev, especially at a tournament where the German hasn’t exactly exceled.
But as per Tennis Abstract, it’s been over two years since Matteo has defeated a top five player. And Sascha should have a big advantage in any backhand-to-backhand rallies, which he’ll certainly try to create. Zverev is the favorite to advance.
Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:
Tallon Griekspoor vs. Arthur Fils (12) – Fils is now the top-ranked Frenchman, and is coming off his first two Masters quarterfinal appearances, in Indian Wells and Miami. Griekspoor was the runner-up this past weekend in Marrakech. They have split two extended battles, both at hard court Majors.
Jordan Thompson vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (6) – Tsitsipas has won this event three of the last four years, and is now 22-3 lifetime in Monte Carlo. He is 3-1 against Thompson, though this is their first meeting on clay.
Jack Draper (5) vs. Marcos Giron – Draper sits at a career-high ranking of sixth in the world after winning the biggest title of his career at Indian Wells. And he has won both of his prior encounters with Giron, but both matches went the distance.
Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.
