Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, the recent Miami Open presented by Itaú champions, had made at least the semi-finals at five of their seven tournaments this season. Yet the five-time Monte-Carlo champions were on the brink of defeat Thursday against wild cards Romain Arneodo and Hugo Nys in their opener at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. But after the left-handed twin, Bob, beat a net-rushing Arneodo with a powerful forehand to save match point in the Match Tie-break, the Americans advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-7(5), 6-0, 11-9 victory. The fourth seeds, who turn 40 on 29 April, are looking to win a third title at the Monte-Carlo Country Club since 2014. They will next face defending champion Pablo Cuevas...
World No. 1 Rafael Nadal withstood the power of Karen Khachanov on Thursday to record his 65th match win at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he bids to capture a record 11th trophy this week. [ALSO LIKE] The Spanish superstar, seeking a record 31st ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown, defeated 21-year-old Russian Khachanov 6-3, 6-2 in 80 minutes for a place in the quarter-finals against sixth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem. Nadal has now reached the Monte-Carlo quarter-finals 14 consecutive years. "It was a good victory - straight sets against a difficult opponent," said Nadal. "I think I played little bit better than yesterday [against Aljaz Bedene]. My serve worked well and my forehand was better than yesterday. "The previous match...
Dominic Thiem out fought Novak Djokovic in a physical and tactical clash on Wednesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Thiem, who let slip three set points in the first set, knocked out 2013 and 2015 champion Djokovic, who was contesting only his ninth match in as many months, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3 in two hours and 29 minutes for a place in the quarter-finals. “Every win is important, especially against such a great player as Novak,” said Thiem. “It's the quarter-finals now, so it's only getting tougher… It was important for my self-confidence, to know I'm physically 100 per cent again. It was a great win. Of course it's important, but tomorrow is a new day.” The Austrian, who may one...
Alexander Zverev won a battle of German giants on Thursday for a place in his first Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-final. In a match of power tennis that featured 15 service breaks, 6’6” Zverev overcame his 6’5” compatriot, Jan-Lennard Struff, in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over two hours and three minutes. “I think I was hitting the ball pretty well, but we couldn’t hold onto our serves,” said Zverev post-match. On Friday, his 21st birthday, Zverev will play 2005 semi-finalist Richard Gasquet, who today became the first Frenchman in the Open Era to record 500 tour-level match wins. “To be in the quarter-finals of an [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000, you have to play well and the draw doesn’t get...
David Goffin was made to work hard on Thursday to beat Roberto Bautista Agut at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters for a place in the quarter-finals for the second consecutive year. The sixth-seeded Belgian found a way to beat fellow baseliner, No. 11 seed Bautista Agut, 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 42 minutes on Court Des Princes, the second show court at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. “In the second set there were big points that hurt me physically, but I was able to win them,” said Goffin. “He always fights until the last point. He gives away no points. You have to fight for each point. At 5-5, I was able to turn it up a notch for me to...
