Berrettini routs Medvedev in Monte Carlo as Zverev survives Garin test

MONTE CARLO: Daniil Medvedev suffered a heavy 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Matteo Berrettini in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday, while Alexander Zverev recovered from the brink of elimination to beat Cristian Garin.

Medvedev’s match quickly slipped away after he failed to convert two break points in the opening game. The Russian then lost control of the contest, committing 30 unforced errors and five double faults. According to the match details, he did not win more than two points in any of the final 11 games.

His frustration became visible in the second set when he smashed his racquet into the court four times. Berrettini completed the win in 49 minutes, handing the former world number one the first 6-0, 6-0 loss of his career.

After the match, Berrettini said, “I think it was one of the best performances of my life. I think I missed three shots in the entire match and it is not easy against a tricky player like Daniil. I think the game plan was perfect and my weapons were working.”

The Italian, a former Wimbledon runner-up who is now ranked 90th, advanced to the last 16, where he will meet Joao Fonseca. The Brazilian teenager booked his place in the next round by defeating Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

Zverev fights back

In another second-round match, world number three Zverev came through a difficult contest against Chilean qualifier Garin, winning 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.

Zverev, who is aiming to complete a full set of all three clay-court Masters 1000 titles this week, had reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells and the Miami Open this year. But he looked set for an early exit after dropping the first set and then falling 4-0 behind in the third.

Garin later moved 5-3 ahead in the deciding set and served for the match, but Zverev broke back and turned the contest around by winning five games in a row. In the 12th game, he had to save three break points to avoid being taken to a tie-break before securing victory on his third match point.

Zverev said, “My level was not there at all to be honest,” after taking two hours and 50 minutes to complete the comeback, adding, “But it was my first clay-court match in 11 months. I didn’t have much time to prepare as I played well in Miami.

“I am happy to get the win. It was a tough match and he is someone playing well, especially here.”

The 28-year-old will next face unseeded Belgian Zizou Bergs in round three after Bergs defeated 2023 champion Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-1.

Zverev has not won an ATP title since Munich 12 months ago, while the most recent of his seven Masters titles came in Paris in 2024.