Monte Carlo Masters 2021: Sunday Tennis Scores, Results, Updated Schedule
The main draw of the Monte Carlo Masters began Sunday with top players trying to navigate a loaded field in Monaco.
After some of the sport's biggest stars missed the Miami Open last month, this Masters 1000 event is full of talent with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev among those in attendance.
While the top seeds won't get started until later in the week, notable players like David Goffin and Benoit Paire were already in action Sunday.
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Monte Carlo Masters Results
No. 11 David Goffin def. Marin Cilic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
Jordan Thompson def. Benoit Paire, 6-4, 6(3)-7, 7-6(5)
Draw available at ATPWorldTour.com
Recap
It was a tough opening draw for David Goffin, but the No. 11 seed found a way to get by former top-10 player Marin Cilic.
Goffin excelled in the return game against Cilic's second serve, holding the Croatian to just a 34 percent success rate on his second serve. Cilic faced 18 break points in the match, saving 12 but still struggling overall to hold his serve.
After a back-and-forth first two sets, Goffin pulled away with a 6-0 third set as his opponent seemingly had nothing left.
The poor final set is something that has become a theme for Cilic in this event:
Goffin moves on and could be on track for an intriguing battle against Alexander Zverev in the round of 16.
The second first-round match of the day was even closer as Jordan Thompson and Benoit Paire battled for three hours and three minutes.
It was an especially sloppy performance from Paire, who finished with 18 double-faults and got only 47 percent of his first serves in play. It led to a match that featured 17 total breaks between the two players.
Each player in the three-set battle won exactly 134 total points, but it was just a few moments that decided the match. Paire tied the match by winning the second-set tiebreak, Thompson got the win through the third-set tiebreak.
Thompson will now face the winner of No. 15 Fabio Fognini and Miomir Kecmanovic, while Medvedev looms in the round of 16.
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