The Monte-Carlo Masters made its traditional Sunday start and wasted no time putting big names on the court. Stan Wawrinka, Borna Coric, and Grigor Dimitrov all advanced, while ousting some tough opponents in the process.
Wawrinka and Lucas Pouille, both unseeded with rankings just outside the top 30 in the world, had to face each other right away and their showdown went the way of the 34-year-old via a 7-5, 6-3 decision. During the one-hour and 15-minute affair, Wawrinka capitalized on dreadful 40 percent serving by his opponent to break three times. The Swiss served poorly, himself, (47 percent) but he won 86 percent of his first-serve points and more than 60 percent even when he had to toss in a second delivery.
“The beginning was a bit tough,” Wawrinka reflected. “I was hesitating; I was a bit slow; I was nervous, and I was looking a little bit for the conditions. He took advantage; he broke me directly.
“Then I started to play a little bit better. I started to know a bit more what I had to do. I broke back, he [made] one mistake, and I [played] one good point and then suddenly the match turned. He felt under pressure, I started to play a bit better, more aggressive, and I am happy with the win.”
Wawrinka awaits either Marco Cecchinato or Damir Dzumhur in the last 32.
Dimitrov has endured a rough season so far, but he opened in the principality with a solid 7-5, 6-4 win over Matteo Berrettini. It lasted one hour and 53 minutes despite requiring only two sets. The 28th-ranked Bulgarian got a look at 18 break-point opportunities, of which he converted four.
In perhaps the marquee first-round matchup of the entire event, Coric battled past Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 in two hours and 52 minutes.
Guido Pella also advanced, beating Rio de Janeiro champion Laslo Djere 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-4 in a tilt between two recent first-time ATP title winners. Pella also triumphed on the Golden Swing in Sao Paulo–defeating none other than Djere in the semis of that tournament.
expected results (other than maybe Dimi)