Monte Carlo, ATP 1000

[don_budge]

Interestingly, Tsitsipas is the second favorite to win the tournament behind Novak. I guess it is because he has won this tournament twice.

Hurkacz up a set over Sinner.

[stroke]

Ruud has really showed what he is made of vs Struff. Struff routined, the demon, and has been very hot this tournament. He has always had a very big game, but one of those who has never been able to keep it going throughout a tournament. He was up 6-1, 5-2, vs Ruud and really just pushing him around out there. Ruud has fought back, now going into 2nd set tiebreaker.

[don_budge]

Sinner a winner…

[stroke]

Berrenttini withdraws with oblique tear.

[don_budge]

Berrenttini withdraws with oblique tear.

A possible serve injury. Hmmm...

[stroke]

Quarters look great, Fritz vs Tsitsipas, Sinner vs Novak or Musetti, Rune vs Zverev or Med, and out of nowhere Struff vs Rublev. I like Fritz as an underdog vs Stef.

[stroke]

Novak not looking clinical. Toss up in 3rd set vs Musetti.

[jimlosaltos]

Berrenttini withdraws with oblique tear.

Man, poor guy has been plagued for the last year: Hand surgery, abs, leg, now this ..

[jimlosaltos]

Lorenzo Musetti the Novak Slayer !

Just looked at the score. Novak's historically had troubles in the wind, perhaps that was it.

I heard Musetti had really beefed up his serve and here: Max 136 MPH, ave 116. But, hey, serve velocity is meaningless, I read somewhere -- unless one is trying to return it.

Wait a minute> Djoko got thumped on second serve points? Musetti won 51% (23/45) on his second vs Djoko's 39% (12/31). Well since that "always" shows who has the better groundstrokes so clearly the 21 yo Italian's one hander must have dominated <g>. UFEs say so, too. Musetti won the plus-minus with 28 winners vs 6 UFEs, while Djoko had a dismal 23 and 23 for net zero.

Djokovic came to the net 42 times? What the hey? I may have to get out the popcorn and watch this later, rubbing hand in gleefully in my imagination as I type that.

[stroke]

I watched the match. Novak was coming in way too much because he was feeling the pressure from his opponent. Musetti did ourserve Novak as you pointed out. Novak was basically hitting 2 second serves it seemed to me. Musetti does have a beautiful game, but he tends a la Gasquet to drop back too deep in rallies. I like the way Rune tries to stay on the baseline.

[jimlosaltos]

I watched the match. Novak was coming in way too much because he was feeling the pressure from his opponent. Musetti did ourserve Novak as you pointed out. Novak was basically hitting 2 second serves it seemed to me. Musetti does have a beautiful game, but he tends a la Gasquet to drop back too deep in rallies. I like the way Rune tries to stay on the baseline.

Thanks. Agree on Rune's holding the baseline, and Musetti drifting back. He's got the skill set to be more positionally aggressive but ... habits of growing up on clay are hard to break?

Seems like Djoko isn't winning long backhand crosscourt rallies like he used to, nor changing directions off that wing like he used to ?

[jimlosaltos]

Sinner pulled it out. Always tough to move from hard courts to clay, but he survived a good test.

From ATP: The seventh-seeded Italian trailed Hurkacz by a set and a break at 3-6, 1-2 but rallied to a 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-1 triumph at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event. Even after recovering his early deficit in the second set, Sinner was on the brink of defeat when trailing 5/6 in the second-set tie-break. Yet he reeled off three points in a row to save the match point and clinch the second set before dominating the decider on Court Rainier III.

[jimlosaltos]

The Sasha Zverev of old was back, serving bombs, up to 149 mph, he served to win the match in two sets and -- hit his one double fault and got broken.

5-5 in the second. Can "Hard Court Specialist" Medvedev take it?

[stroke]

Sinner pulled it out. Always tough to move from hard courts to clay, but he survived a good test.

From ATP: The seventh-seeded Italian trailed Hurkacz by a set and a break at 3-6, 1-2 but rallied to a 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-1 triumph at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event. Even after recovering his early deficit in the second set, Sinner was on the brink of defeat when trailing 5/6 in the second-set tie-break. Yet he reeled off three points in a row to save the match point and clinch the second set before dominating the decider on Court Rainier III.

Great post. And so true. Very impressive by Jannik

[stroke]

The Sasha Zverev of old was back, serving bombs, up to 149 mph, he served to win the match in two sets and -- hit his one double fault and got broken.

5-5 in the second. Can "Hard Court Specialist" Medvedev take it?

Alex is in the conservation for the FO.