IMAGE: Germany’s thirteenth seed Alexander Zverev received his second match in as many days in his first look on the pink filth because the Roland Garros drama. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Alexander Zverev continued to rebuild his confidence on clay with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut within the Monte Carlo Masters second spherical on Wednesday and can subsequent face in-form Daniil Medvedev.
German thirteenth seed Zverev, who suffered a severe ankle damage within the French Open semi-finals final 12 months, received his second match in as many days in his first look on the pink filth because the Roland Garros drama.
Zverev broke for 3-2 within the first set and held serve to take it earlier than breaking once more within the fifth sport of the second set.
Bautista Agut, nonetheless, broke the German’s serve to degree at 3-3, just for Zverev to make the decisive break within the following sport.
IMAGE: Daniil Medvedev outclassed Italian Lorenzo Sonego in straight units. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Russian Medvedev, winner of 4 hardcourt titles this 12 months, continued his glorious begin to the season with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Italian Lorenzo Sonego on a floor he has not loved a lot success on up to now.
“I all the time wrestle on clay,” mentioned third seed Medvedev. “I’ve had some good matches the place I nonetheless struggled. There’s no rhythm on clay, each bounce is a nasty bounce and even when it is good you are anticipating a nasty bounce.”
Casper Ruud, final 12 months’s French Open runner-up, continued his preparations for the claycourt Grand Slam by battling previous Botic van de Zandschulp 7-5, 7-6(1), avenging a three-set defeat by the Dutchman in Miami final month.
“It’s by no means straightforward to start out at a brand new match and towards a participant I’ve misplaced to earlier than,” mentioned Ruud, who claimed the Estoril title within the lead-up to Monte Carlo.
“I used to be a bit sloppy and did not take my possibilities however on this case I used to be a bit comfortable as a result of I felt there was some unfinished enterprise.”
IMAGE: Casper Ruud, final 12 months’s French Open runner-up, continued his preparations for the claycourt Grand Slam by battling previous Botic van de Zandschulp. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Ruud subsequent performs Jan-Lennard Struff who surprised 14th seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-2. Karen Khachanov additionally went via with a 7-6(2), 6-2 win over Ilya Ivashka whereas eighth seed Taylor Fritz overcame Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka 7-6(10), 6-2.
They had been joined by Lorenzo Musetti, who blanked Luca Nardi 6-0, 6-0 to arrange a conflict with world primary Novak Djokovic.
Miami runner-up Jannik Sinner superior after his doubles accomplice Diego Schwartzman retired with a shoulder damage trailing 6-0, 3-1.
Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem’s makes an attempt to revive his profession following a wrist damage had been dealt one other blow in a 6-2, 6-4 loss to ninth-ranked Holger Rune.
The loss prolonged Thiem’s bid for a primary win over a top-10 ranked participant since November, 2020.
Denmark’s Rune subsequent faces Matteo Berrettini, who celebrated his twenty seventh birthday with a hard-fought 5-7, 7-6(1), 6-4 victory over Francisco Cerundolo.
