Top seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner barely needed two hours combined to win their opening matches at the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday.
Alcaraz defeated Argentina’s Sebastian Baez 6-1, 6-3 in 70 minutes. The top-seeded Spaniard and defending champ struck six aces and finished with a 24-5 edge in winners to advance to the third round.
Sinner stomped Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-0 in 65 minutes. The second-seeded Italian fired six aces, never faced a break point and had a 19-6 advantage in winners in the clay-court tournament in Monaco.
Alcaraz next faces the winner between Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry and France’s Terence Atmane. Sinner’s third-round opponent will be either No. 16 seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina or Czech Tomas Machac.
Sinner can overtake Alcaraz for the World No. 1 ranking depending on what happens this week.
“I will try to play my best and let’s see what happens, but for me the No. 1 spot is not in my mind right now,” Alcaraz said. “I’m just trying to feel the best way on clay courts and let’s see how the clay swing goes.”
Also reaching the third round were No. 5 seed Alex De Minaur of Australia and No. 8 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan. De Minaur held off Britain’s Cameron Norrie 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-2, while Bublik ended 39-year-old Frenchman Gael Monfils’ final appearance in Monaco with a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Monfils, who is competing in his final season on the ATP Tour, played in the principality for the first time in 2005 and faced Rafael Nadal.
“It’s a magnificent tournament, if not one of the most beautiful tournaments in the world,” Monfils said. “It was an honor and a privilege to play in 2005, and what an opponent I had first. … I immediately got to taste the best of the best.
“I think I played some of my best tennis (here). Some great victories. I managed to beat Roger (Federer, in 2015). They were really special moments and here I am again today trying to give you a good match. The years go by and the legs become heavier, but the love from the crowd is unique. Every time I really stepped on this court, it was beautiful.”
No. 9 seed Casper Ruud of Norway defeated Australia’s Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-4 in a first-round match. Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz knocked out No. 15 seed Luciano Darderi of Italy 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-1 in their first-round clash.
Others advancing to the second round included Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan, Croatia’s Marin Cilic and France’s Corentin Moutet.
–Field Level Media
