Second round singles action continues on Wednesday in Monte Carlo.
Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Monte Carlo on a two-match losing streak, and his career record in Monte Carlo stands at 0-1. On Wednesday, he looks to earn his first victory in a month, and his first in Monte Carlo, against the last man he defeated, Francisco Cerundolo.
Plus, two-time champion Novak Djokovic makes his 2025 Monte Carlo debut on Wednesday, as does 2023 champ Andrey Rublev, as well as last year’s runner-up, Casper Ruud.
Each day, this preview will analyze the most intriguing matchup, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Francisco Cerundolo vs. Carlos Alcaraz (2) – Second on Court Rainier III
After being upset in the semifinals of Indian Wells by eventual champion Jack Draper, in a match where Alcaraz later described how anxious he felt on court, Carlitos lost his first match in Miami to David Goffin. After that loss, during which Alcaraz made some very poor decisions, he told Fernando Murciego of Spain’s Punto de Break “Mentally, I’m screwed.” Carlitos will try to unscramble his thinking on Wednesday, in just his second Monte Carlo appearance. Back in 2022, he lost his only prior match here to Sebastian Korda, in a three-hour three-setter.
A month ago in the Indian Wells quarterfinals, Alcaraz overcame Cerundolo in a tight straight-setter, to bring his tour-level record against Francisco to 2-0. But this will be their first time playing on clay, the surface where five of Cerundolo’s six career ATP finals have occurred on. And the 26-year-old Argentine comes into this rematch in good form: he advanced to the quarterfinals of both Indian Wells and Miami, and eliminated Fabio Fognini on Monday by a dominant score of 6-0, 6-3. Francisco has now won two more matches this season than Carlitos.
However, Cerundolo’s victory over Fabio was just his third Monte Carlo win, and he’s never advanced beyond this round. So while I expect another tight contest between these two on Wednesday, their history dictates Alcaraz be favored to prevail.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Andrey Rublev (7) vs. Gael Monfils – Rublev is just 9-7 on the year, but is now being coached by Major champion Marat Safin. Monfils is an excellent 15-5 in 2025, and came from a set down on Monday to defeat Fabian Marozsan. Andrey is 2-1 against Gael, though all three matches took place on hard courts.
Novak Djokovic (3) vs. Alejandro Tabilo – Djokovic is coming off a run to the final in Miami, and is 39-15 lifetime in Monte Carlo, with titles back in 2013 and 2015. Tabilo has been struggling mightily of late, with a record of 11-24 since last July, and just 3-9 this season. However, he’s 1-0 against Novak, with a straight-set victory last May in Rome, though Djokovic was dealing with a head injury at the time after a metal water bottle had fallen on his head.
Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Casper Ruud (4) – Ruud is 12-4 this season, with all 16 matches played on hard courts, as he now returns to his preferred surface for the first time since last summer. But he is just 1-3 against Bautista Agut, which includes a clay court loss to the Spaniard back in 2018.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
