Monte Carlo Masters: Upsets, Updates, and Previews of the Early Men’s Action
By Harry Floyd
Men’s singles action is into the round of 32 at the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters. Here’s a look at who’s going home early and who to keep an eye on.
We have to wait just a little bit longer to see defending champion Rafael Nadal take the courts at the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters. Rafa is in action on Wednesday at the event, taking on fellow countryman Roberta Bautista Agut in his opener. Nadal, the second seed, has a three-peat going at Monte Carlo. Along with Novak Djokovic, he is the player to beat.
Djokovic, on the other hand, already has a win under his belt. He takes his opener over Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber. The back and forth match took him three sets to earn the W though. Djokovic will need to be smoother moving forward.
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Several top players have been OUSTED in the round of 32. We see a former champion in Stan Wawrinka going home early. After knocking out Lucas Pouille in his opener, Wawrinka falls to the 11th seeded Marco Cecchinato in three sets.
Outside of Nadal and Djokovic, Stan the Man was the only player to win a men’s singles title here dating back to 2004.
Eight seeded Karen Khachanov falls to 23-year-old qualifier Lorenzo Sonego. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retires in the second set of his match against American Taylor Fritz.
Another big name in Marin Cilic is going home early. The Croatian great entered the action at the Monte Carlo Masters as the seventh seed in the men’s singles field. He falls in the round of 32 to Guido Pella of Argentina. Pella takes on Cecchinato next.
A highly anticipated matchup in the round of 32 features Felix Auger Aliassime taking on the third seeded Alexander Zverev. The young Canadian has seen brilliant success on the 2019 ATP Tour but faces a massive challenge in one of the sport’s newest superstars. Zverev will be under the microscope though as he’s struggled in recent tournaments. The Monte Carlo Masters is a major test for the world number three.
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Some round of 32 matches to look forward to beyond Nadal-Bautista Agut and Zverev-Auger Aliassime include Stefanos Tsitsipas taking on Mikhail Kukushkin and Dominic Thiem versus Martin Kližan. Also keep on eye on players like Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin moving forward. Despite some major early round upsets, the field remains packed with talent at the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters.