18:55
Home game for Zverev
By the way, Alexander Zverev has already played and won two double matches alongside Marcelo Melo these days. In addition, the 24-year-old has a home game here, as he lives just around the corner.
18:49
Entry and coin toss
At that moment, our main actors enter the square. After a few preparations, the French chair umpire Renaud Lichtenstein meets at the net to vote. The coin falls in favor of the German, who decides to hit back. Then both play a little.
18:33
Briefly
Lorenzo Musetti has just used his first match point in the tie-break of the 2nd set to beat Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, who is 6th, 6:2 and 7:6. The Court Rainier III will soon be free for the last match of the day. Messrs. Delbonis and Zverev will probably appear around 6:45 p.m.
18:28
conditions
Rain has not been an issue so far this week. But at this time of year the humidity here near the sea increases noticeably in the evening. This also makes the clay court slow. The temperatures will certainly drop below 20 degrees during the course of the match.
18:18
Head 2 Head
Appropriately, our two protagonists have played their two previous duels on sand against each other. The matches took place in 2019 and were won by Zverev. First of all, the semi-finals in Geneva were tight and consisted of three sets. A little later in the Round of 16 in Hamburg, the German asserted himself 6:4 and 7:6.
18:08
Court Rainier III
On the Rainier III court, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Lorenzo Musetti are currently facing each other in the final phase of the 2nd set. It is not yet clear in which direction this will move. It may be our turn around 6:40 p.m. But maybe we have to wait a little longer.
17:58
Masters expert Zverev
So it was not enough to win a tournament in 2022. Zverev still has 19 career titles. Of course, the greatest successes were the Olympic gold in 2021 and the victories in the ATP Finals in 2018 and 2021. The man from Hamburg is still waiting for a Grand Slam triumph and was very close as a finalist in the US Open 2020. There have been five tournament wins at Masters level so far – three of them on clay (Rome 2017 and Madrid 2018, 2021). Incidentally, Zverev was already in the final in seven of the nine Masters. Then there’s the semifinals of Monte Carlo 2018 and the quarterfinals of Indian Wells 2012, where the German still has some catching up to do.
17:48
Zverev 2022
As number 2 on the seeding list, Zverev is only entering the tournament today. The 24-year-old is serving at this Masters for the sixth time since 2016 and reached the semi-finals in 2018. Twelve months ago, however, it was already over in the third round. The current season of Germany’s currently best tennis player was marked by the freak out in Acapulco, which certainly left its mark and has had a very positive effect on performance since then. The right-hander had previously played his best tournament in Lyon (final). Most recently in Miami, the Olympic champion made it to the quarterfinals.
17:38
Number 34 in the world
At the Monte Carlo Country Club, Delbonis is in the peloton for the sixth time since 2012. In the beginning, the South American always failed in the first round, only went a step further last year. A win today would take the 31-year-old into the third round for the first time. He played his first match this week against the Spanish qualifier Jaume Munar and won in three sets. Previously, Delbonis recorded his best result of the season by far as a semi-finalist in Buenos Aires. As the current number 34 in the world, the Argentinian is close to his career best with just one position.
17:28
Clay court specialist Delbonis
Today’s task for the German number 1 can be seen as quite demanding. Zverev is dealing with a proven clay court specialist. The Argentine played four finals on the ATP tour – all on clay. He won two of them – most recently in 2016 in Marrakech. And that’s how it was on the Challenger Tour. His best Grand Slam result came from the French Open 2021. In the same year, the left-hander achieved the best Masters result as a quarter-finalist in Rome. So all this happened on sand.
17:18
bon jour!
Welcome to the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters! During the current second round, Alexander Zverev is also involved and has to deal with Federico Delbonis in his opening match. According to the current status, it could start around 6:15 p.m.