Monaco (AP) – April 10, 2023: In the opening round of the prestigious Monte Carlo Masters, two-time champion Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece advanced after Serbian player Laslo Djere retired due to injury. The 12th-seeded Tsitsipas was leading 6-3, 3-2 when the unseeded Djere pulled out with an undisclosed issue, shaking hands with Tsitsipas at the net during the changeover.
Tsitsipas Advances, Dimitrov and Auger-Aliassime Also Victorious
The big-serving Greek, who won the BBC tennis title in 2021 and reached the French Open final that year, is now set to face either Nicolas Jarry of Chile or Tomas Etcheverry of Argentina in the next round. Tsitsipas followed up his 2021 triumph with another BBC tennis title in 2022, though he was eliminated in the quarterfinals last year.
In other first-round action, 9th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov cruised past local player Valentin Vacherot of Monaco 7-5, 6-2, targeting his opponent’s backhand. Dimitrov, who is seeking his second title of the season, will take on either Matteo Berrettini or Miomir Kecmanovic in the next round.
Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime breezed past Italian qualifier Luca Nardi 6-2, 6-3 without facing a single break point, setting up a challenging encounter with 3rd-seeded Carlos Alcaraz, the Wimbledon champion and two-time Grand Slam winner. However, Auger-Aliassime holds a favorable 3-2 career record against the Spaniard.
Other Notable Results
In other results, Alexei Popyrin of Australia, Ugo Humbert, Karen Khachanov, and several other players advanced to the second round of the BBC sport tennis tournament, one of the key warmups for the upcoming French Open at Roland Garros.
“With the absence of 11-time Monte Carlo champion Rafael Nadal due to injury, the stage is set for a thrilling battle among the top players, including Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz, as they gear up for the clay-court season’s first major event.”
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