Monday marks the first full day of competition in Monte-Carlo, where Karen Khachanov and Cameron Norrie are set for an opening-round showdown. Felix Auger-Aliassime and Luca Nardi are also taking the court.
(15) Karen Khachanov vs. Cameron Norrie
Khachanov and Norrie will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Monday. The head-to-head series is all tied up at 3-3. Norrie has won two of their three previous clay-court encounters, but Khachanov most recently got the job done 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 at the 2022 French Open.
Norrie is well off his peak at No. 30 in the rankings, struggling to stay inside the cut line for a seed at Roland Garros. The 28-year-old is a decent 10-6 this season but his only notable result is a fourth-round performance at the Australian Open. Khachanov is 12-6 with the same fourth-round showing in Melbourne, a title in Doha, and a recent fourth-round effort in Miami. Both of these guys are all-court players, but clay suits Khachanov’s topspin forehand much more than it does Norrie’s all around game–especially his backhand.
Pick: Khachanov in 3
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. (Q) Luca Nardi
Nardi has made a name for himself in 2024, almost entirely due to one specific match. As a lucky loser at the Indian Wells Masters, the 20-year-old stunned world No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the round of 32. Maintaining momentum from that stunner, Nardi kicked off his clay-court swing with a title at the Naples Challenger and successfully qualified for the Monte-Carlo main draw with victories over Lucas Pouille and Alexandre Muller.
If Nardi wins on Monday he will have another chance to be a giant killer, as Carlos Alcaraz would be up next for the 76th-ranked Italian. Standing in his way of the second round, however, is Auger-Aliassime. On paper Auger-Aliassime may be a sizable favorite, but the 23-year-old Canadian has been ice cold dating back to 2023 and has plunged to 35th in the rankings. Clay has not been a bad surface for Auger-Aliassime in the past, but it’s probably not what he wants to play on when he is struggling to find the court with basically all of his shots. Long rallies are almost certainly going to favor a confident Nardi.
Pick: Nardi in 3
WWW?
Well, I missed getting a bracket filled out for MC! I glanced at it on Sat. but decided to go to bed. When I checked in the morning, the bracket for MC had closed. It was a huge bummer, dang it!
But a trio of our group made it: Big AL, Margot, and Cami!
This morning, I did what I habitually do on a Monday morning and checked the brackets. 🙂
I would have picked the Alcarez vs Sinner Final, but I’m guessing that Alcarez would be ready for Sinner. For the Semi-finals: Alcarez over Rublev and Sinner over Meddie.
Rublev and Novak played on clay once in the Belgrade final in 2022. Rublev won 62 76 60. In Novak’s case, there may have been extenuating circumstances, but I can’t remember. Musetti beat Novak in three sets last year in the round of 16 at Monte Carlo.
Quarterfinals:
Rublev over Musetti
Sinner over Dimitrov
Meddie over Zverev
Alcarez over Ruud
Round of 16
Musetti over Novak
Rublev over De Minaur
Alcaraz over Humbert
Ruud over Hurkacz
Zverev over Tsitsipas
Meddie over Khachanov
Dimitrov over Rune
Sinner over Coric
Since I see by Flashcore that the first round is almost over, I count five picks I lost. I’m mad at myself for not checking the deadline for MC!
What I do remember is that I won the Bogota WTA bracket last week 🙂
It was great to see FAA back!
Nice one, Felix.
There is still hope for my pick, Khachanov, but Norrie is ahead in the second set.
Karen is trying to adjust to Clay Court Norrie. I remember Clay Court Norrie, but maybe it was two years ago? It was during the South American he won at least one clay tournament. I’m too lazy to look it up, so I’d have picked Khachanov.
Khach wins
Norrie in 3; Nardi in 2
ouch!
Im not sold on Rublev this time , he mentally a mess usually, even more after Dubai. Not sure he would beat even this Nole.
Tsitsi sounds confident to be back on clay, should be a good one against Jarry/Etcheverry.
I’m not suggesting that Rubleve will beat Nole. It’s a slight chance and flimsy defense using that Belgrade win.
The Musetti defense is weak, too. I expect Nole to beat both.
I err on the whimsical to make room for Rublev. If I had disposable income, I would put it on Nole to the
Shoot! I wrote a reply to you, Big Al. But I accidentally deleted it.
I wrote: If I were putting money on it, I would at least take Nole to the Semi.
It’s 3 am here, and I’m attempting to type in the dark
The top part came through 😮
The Argentine lot confuses me all season. I do have more trust in Jarry.
But he is Chilean.
I’m not sure how I forgot that Rublev won MC last year.
Maybe it’s cognitive decline, or I slept through the final 2023.
It must have been a forgettable final or else I got cognitive decline too .
nope, it was a good one!
I’ve got Nole in the semis too, can’t see him losing to Musetti again . Or Rublev either unless he well off his game .
I think it’s because the two finalists weren’t the very top players we used to seeing in finals
.Good to see Rublev getting a masters at last
Now I remember the distraction, and it was foolish!
I remember not getting that big Rublev win recorded, so I had to join an ATP-exclusive streaming channel to watch the full, uninterrupted replay.
Maybe Sonego can win one match, but his W/L record in 2024 is dismal. FAA’s win yesterday puts him 8/8 W/L. I hope the Canadian Felix Auger Alissime can return to the top ten.
It’s fun living through our bracket trio picks, but not as fun being left out. You are all close, Big Al. Sadly, Alcaraz pulled out again from another injury. Margot is leading Big Al by 2 points, and Cami is training by 3.
Cami picked Nole and appears to have the advantage in the long run. TDC has yet to fix all the brackets with Sonego.
I’m stalking all of you. Sorry not sorry 🙂
Cami is trailing, NOT training, or maybe she is training?
Like most people I had Alcaraz winning , but wouldnt mind at all if Nole could win now . He a habit of doing that when written off.
PS didnt know if Cami was a she or not. Maybe its Cheryl? Just a thought