First-round action in Monte-Carlo wraps up on Tuesday with a showdown between Alex de Minaur and Stan Wawrinka. The second round gets underway with 2023 quarterfinalist Lorenzo Musetti facing Arthur Fils.
(11) Alex de Minaur vs. (WC) Stan Wawrinka
De Minaur and Wawrinka will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they finally meet in round one of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Tuesday. It could very well be their last encounter, too, since Wawrinka is presumably in the final stages of his career. That’s not to say that the 39-year-old Swiss can’t continue to play good tennis. He remains inside the top 100 at 79th in the rankings and is coming off a decent performance in Marrakech (beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas in straight sets, lost to Mariano Navone in three).
Although De Minaur is a sizable favorite, clay mitigates most of his advantages. The 11th-ranked Australian likes faster surfaces to use opponents’ pace against them, and his relative lack of firepower makes it difficult for him to hit through a clay court. De Minaur is playing great in general, but on the dirt this is a tough proposition for him. After all, Wawrinka is a former French Open champion (2015) and his Monte-Carlo history includes a title (2014), a semifinal, and three quarterfinals.
Pick: Wawrinka in 3
Arthur Fils vs. Lorenzo Musetti
Musetti made some serious noise in Monte-Carlo last spring, upsetting Novak Djokovic en route to the quarterfinals. That kind of success on clay is nothing out of the ordinary for Musetti, who has twice reached the fourth round at Roland Garros and on one of those occasions (2021) led Djokovic two sets to love. The 24th-ranked Italian opened with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over 2023 Monte-Carlo semifinalist Taylor Fritz on Sunday.
Up next for Musetti is a first-ever meeting with Fils. The 19-year-old Frenchman also cruised through his opener in the principality, taking care of lucky loser Yannick Hanfmann 6-0, 6-2 on Monday. Fils is stellar on clay, as well, with his lone ATP title coming last spring on the dirt in Lyon. Still, the youngster is a modest 11-9 this season and 3-4 on clay. Musetti is in superior form and his history of success in Monte-Carlo should help him book a spot in the round of 16.
Pick: Musetti in 2
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