Stan Wawrinka qualified for the second round

(Monte Carlo) Stan Wawrinka, 90^e world champion and winner in 2014, qualified for the second round of the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo on Monday by beating Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor (35^e) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.

The 38-year-old Swiss will face American Taylor Fritz (10^e) for a spot in the round of 16.

“It’s a pleasure to be here… It hasn’t been easy. A first round, which is more on clay, you have to go get it. I expected a difficult match and it took a lot of patience, I had to stay calm,” commented Wawrinka.

Monte-Carlo is the third tournament in the Masters 1000 category that has been the most successful for him since the start of his career with now 22 matches won (27 in Indian Wells and 24 in Rome), including a final against Roger Federer in 2014.

But he hasn’t passed the second round since 2017.

Winner of three Grand Slam tournaments and ex-N. 3 in the world, Wawrinka is trying to regain his best level after two seasons marred by injuries.

Berrettini wins his first Masters 1000 match in a year

Italian Matteo Berrettini, 22^e world champion who had not won a single match in the Masters 1000 for over a year, qualified for the second round in Monte-Carlo on Monday where he dominated the American Maxime Cressy (40^e) 6-4, 6-2.

“The start of the season was complicated for a whole host of reasons, but I am now doing what I love to do again, which is to fight on the tennis court, especially in such a beautiful and important tournament. “, rejoiced the ex-N. 6 at ATP.

“The level of play was very high, it’s not easy to play against Maxime, but I was able to rely on the incredible support of the public,” he added.

He will face, to try to climb in the round of 16, the Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo (33^e) who got rid of Britain’s Cameron Norrie on Monday (14^e) 6-3, 6-4.

Wimbledon finalist in 2021, Berrettini (26) had never won a match on Monegasque clay in his two previous appearances, in 2019 and 2021. Last year, he had wrist surgery in March and had missed the clay-court season.

“After the operation, I was not sure if I could come back at all. But today, the level was there,” admitted the Italian.

“When you get injured several times, it takes a lot of energy to come back. At one point, I had none left. So I’m very happy to be here, I feel good, I’ve got my energy back and I’m ready to go,” he said.

His last Masters 1000 victory was at Indian Wells 2022 where he beat Lloyd Harris in the third round before losing to Miomir Kecmanovic in the round of 16. Soon after, he had surgery.

This year he was knocked out in the first round of the Australian Open by a raging Andy Murray, then he dropped out in the quarter-finals in Acapulco and was beaten as soon as he entered the competition in Indian Wells.

Returned to play a Challenger tournament in Phoenix, he was beaten there in the quarter-finals before giving in again to Miami.