Masters Minute: Monte Carlo, April 18
A pigeon flies by David Ferrer, who soared to the 2011 Monte Carlo final without dropping a set, but was grounded today by 45th-ranked Thomaz Bellucci. Ferrer's 12-match clay-court winning streak ended in the process.
Wednesday's Play
| (1) Djokovic d. Seppi, 6-1, 6-4 | —Dan Markowitz's Racquet Reaction |
| (2) Nadal d. Nieminen, 6-4, 6-3 | —Hannah Wilks' Racquet Reaction |
| Bellucci d. (5) Ferrer, 6-3, 6-2 | —Richard Pagliaro's Racquet Reaction |
| (6) Berdych d. Cilic, 7-6 (3), 6-1 | —Coming off clay-court conquests of Viktor Troicki and Janko Tipsarevic in Davis Cup, Berdych broke serve four times and has now won eight straight sets on dirt against Top 25 opponents. The seventh-ranked Czech, who raised his 2012 record to 20-5, was a Monte Carlo semifinalist in 2007; Berdych is 0-2 against round of 16 opponent Kei Nishikori. |
| (7) Tipsarevic d. Montanes, 6-2, 6-3 | |
| (8) Almagro d. Starace, 7-6 (3), 6-1 | |
| (9) Simon d. Gil, 6-3, 6-0 | |
| (12) Nishikori d. Mathieu, 6-4, 6-2 | |
| Benneteau d. (15) Melzer, 6-4, 6-3 | —The 30-year-old Benneteau served 84 percent and hit six aces in a tidy 68-minute win to join fellow Frenchmen and Davis Cup teammates Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon in the last 16. Matters may become considerably more challenging as third-seeded Andy Murray, who is 3-0 lifetime vs. Benneteau, awaits on Thursday morning. |
| (16) Dolgopolov d. Tomic, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 | |
| Kukushkin d. Volandri 7-6 (8), 2-6, 6-2 | |
| Haase d. Fognini, 6-4, 6-4 | |
| Wawrinka d. Andujar, 7-5, 6-3 |
Thursday's Order of Play
| (3) Murray v. Benneteau [Court Central] | |
| (4) Tsonga v. (13) Verdasco [Court Central] | —An intriguing clash between two power players who favor their forehands and have split two prior meetings on hard courts. Verdasco has won six of his last seven clay-court matches, but he's winless in his last seven matches vs. Top 10 opponents. The fifth-ranked Tsonga has yet to reach the Monte Carlo quarterfinals. If Verdasco serves with ambition and takes cracks at Tsonga's second serve, the 2010 finalist can pull off the upset. The Pick: Verdasco |
| (1) Djokovic v. (16) Dolgopolov [Court Central] | |
| (2) Nadal v. Kukushkin [Court Central] | |
| (6) Berdych v. (12) Nishikori [Court des Princes] | |
| (7) Tipsarevic v. (9) Simon [Court des Princes] | —If past history is any indication, this could be a tiebreak tug of war: Four of the eight prior sets the pair have played were decided in breakers. Simon is 3-0 against Tipsarevic, whose level of play ranged from tremendous to tight in Serbia's Davis Cup quarterfinal earlier this month. Both prefer hard courts, but Simon is running well on the dirt, is adept at driving the ball down the the line off both wings, and has won four of his nine titles on clay. The Pick: Simon |
| Bellucci v. Haase [Court des Princes] | |
| (8) Almagro v. Wawrinka [Court des Princes] |
TV Schedule
4:30 am - 12:30 pm: Monte Carlo (M), Early rounds (Tennis Channel, Live)
12:30 pm - 2:30 pm: Barcelona (W), Final (Tennis Channel, Repeat)
2:30 pm - 4:30 pm: Casablanca (M), Final (Tennis Channel, Repeat)
5:00 pm - 2:00 am: Monte Carlo (M), Early rounds (Tennis Channel, Repeat)
An incredible tiebreak between Djokovic and Dolgopolov—who play one another tomorrow—at last year's U.S. Open. I won't reveal the winner, but get yourself comfortable.
