The world’s best players have gathered in Monte-Carlo to kick off the clay-court season. While Zverev and Djokovic have already stumbled on the red dirt, Medvedev and Alcaraz narrowly avoided the same fate. A look back at the highlights of the tournament’s opening days in our special feature.
April 7, 2025
Medvedev Overcomes Khachanov in a Grueling Battle
In an all-Russian first-round clash, Daniil Medvedev edged out Karen Khachanov with a hard-fought 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
Medvedev, seeded No9, hobbled up to the net to shake Khachanov’s hand and greet the crowd, and immediately asked for a physiotherapist to treat his legs.
After two hours and 51 minutes of the match, there were 36 break points, eight of which were saved by Medvedev and 11 by Khachanov.
Davidovich Fokina Rallies Past Shelton
Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina displayed tenacity, coming from a set down to defeat American Ben Shelton 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-1. After dropping a tight first set in a tiebreak, Davidovich Fokina stayed patient during long rallies and winning several points from the baseline, capitalising on his opponent’s increasing errors to secure his place in the second round.
April 8, 2025
Holger Rune forced to retire
Danish player Holger Rune (No. 10 seed) was forced to retire from his match against Portugal’s Nuno Borges. He gave up in the second set when well behind (6-2, 3-0). Rune was probably ill going into this first major clay-court event of the season.
Berrettini Upsets Top Seed Zverev
In a significant upset, Italy’s Matteo Berrettini defeated world number two and top seed Alexander Zverev 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. The German, who had easily won the first set without conceding a break point, made four avoidable unforced errors at 3-2, giving the Italian the break and then the second set.
In the decisive set, Berrettini took the lead by breaking at 3-3 but failed to finish as he was serving for the match at 5-4. The end of the match was unbreathable, with Berrettini winning a 48-shot rally to take back the German’s serve before finishing on his 1st match point.
Defending Champion Tsitsipas Advances
Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas began his title defense with a convincing win over Jordan Thompson. The Greek star displayed his clay-court expertise, securing his spot in the next round.
April 9, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz overturns Francisco Cerúndolo
Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz began his clay season with a three-set victory over Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo. After a shaky first set (3-6), Alcaraz found his rhythm and dominated the next two sets 6-0, 6-1, securing his spot in the Round of 16.
Tabilo Stuns Djokovic in Straight Sets
Chilean Alejandro Tabilo caused a major upset by defeating third seed Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4. Tabilo’s aggressive play and consistency disrupted Djokovic’s rhythm, leading to one of the tournament’s biggest surprises.
