Jannik Sinner will be part of jam-packed Thursday schedule in Monte-Carlo, where he goes up against Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round. Hubert Hurkacz and Casper Ruud are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.
Jan-Lennard Struff vs. (2) Jannik Sinner
Sinner and Struff will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time this spring when they meet again in round three of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Thursday. They just faced each other in Indian Wells, where Sinner cruised 6-3, 6-4–also in the third round. That was one of the few tournaments Sinner has failed to win during his current hot streak (lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals), but he bounced back to lift the trophy in Miami. The 22-year-old Italian is up to second in the rankings thanks to a 23-1 record in 2024 and a 36-2 mark in his last 38 matches overall. Sinner kicked off his Monte-Carlo campaign with a 6-1, 6-2 beatdown of Sebastian Korda on Wednesday.
Struff is a great all-court player, but he could not hit through Sinner in Indian Wells and there is no reason to think he will be able to do so in Monte-Carlo. The 25th-ranked German is playing well, though, with victories this week over Sebastian Baez and Borna Coric. Struff will almost certainly take more games than Korda did if he serves well, but this should be more one-way traffic for Sinner.
Pick: Sinner in 2
(10) Hubert Hurkacz vs. (8) Casper Ruud
Clay is thought to be Hurkacz’s favorite surface, but his spring swing is off to an awesome start. The eighth-ranked Pole is 6-0 with a title last week in Estoril and Mote-Carlo defeats of Jack Draper (in a third-set tiebreaker) and Roberto Bautista Agut (in a second-set tiebreaker). Hurkacz is now 21-8 this year, which includes a quarterfinal performance at the Australian Open (lost to Daniil Medvedev in five sets).
Up next for the 27-year-old is a third encounter with Ruud. Unsurprisingly, Ruud won on clay in four sets at the 2022 French Open before Hurkacz prevailed on a relatively fast hard court in a three-setter at the 2022 Montreal Masters. Ruud lost to Pedro Martinez in the Estoril semifinals, but that could be a blessing in disguise for Monte-Carlo because he is much more rested than his opponent. The 10th-ranked Norwegian, who is a two-time Roland Garros runner-up, hammered Alejandro Tabilo 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday. Look for Ruud to wear down Hurkacz from the back of the court in a baseline battle on dirt.
Pick: Ruud in 3
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