Monte-Carlo Masters 2015: Daily Scores, Results and Draw Schedule
Novak Djokovic walked into Monte-Carlo a marked man. He left unscathed.
The world No. 1 earned his fourth title of 2015 with a victory over Tomas Berdych, taking the first ATP Masters clay tournament of the year and his third straight overall. On his way to the championship, Djokovic knocked off Rafael Nadal, a major confidence boost as the clay-court season ramps up.
Overall, Djokovic has won 17 straight matches and has lost once since the beginning of the Australian Open. With a month remaining until the year's second major, it appears momentum is on Djokovic's side as he looks to complete the career Grand Slam.
Continue on for a day-by-day outlook on how the 2015 Monte-Carlo Masters played out.
Schedule and Draw
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The Monte-Carlo Masters will be played from Sunday, April 12, through Sunday, April 19. For the updated draw, the daily schedule and the daily results throughout the tournament, be sure to check out ATPWorldTour.com.
Day 8 Results
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Finals Score
(1) Novak Djokvoic def. (6) Tomas Berdych; 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
Someone can stop Novak Djokovic's reign of terror atop the tennis world. As for whether anyone will, that's looking less and less likely with each passing week.
Djokovic earned his fourth victory of the 2015 calendar year Sunday, battling through a hard-fought 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 match with Tomas Berdych. The win gives Djokovic wins in each of the first three ATP Masters events of the season, making him the first man in history to pull off that feat, per Sports Illustrated. It was also his 17th straight victory overall, bringing him to 30-2 on the season.
A day after taking down clay-court maven Rafael Nadal in dominant fashion, Djokovic was in much lesser form against Berdych. He committed five double-faults and was at a loss against Berdych's serve, taking only a quarter of his first-return points. Only 59 percent of Djokovic's first serves were even so much as in play.
Both men found themselves facing a number of break points, with the timing of those conversions playing the ultimate difference in the match. Djokovic was held at bay on nine of his 14 attempts and Berdych six of his 10.
Djokovic earned a first-set triumph on the back of three breaks, helping atone for his being broken twice. Berdych turned around and held off Djokovic twice in the second set, allowing his lone conversion to force a deciding third set at 6-4.
In the third, Djokovic found a bit of a rhythm while Berdych's service game fell apart. The Czech was accurate on only 39 percent of his first-serve opportunities in the deciding set, allowing Djokovic to take full advantage. He won 65 percent of his second-return points to help get two breaks and continue a winning streak he hopes lasts through Roland Garros.
The French Open remains more than a month away, but Djokovic appears to be finally putting it all together on clay. His victory over Nadal on Saturday was the type of triumph that helps boost his confidence heading into the only major he's never won.
With Nadal still not 100 percent back to form and Roger Federer looking gassed in his loss to Gael Monfils, 2015 might finally be the time Djokovic gets over the hump.
Day 7 Results
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Semifinal Scores
No. 6 Tomas Berdych def. No. 14 Gael Monfils; 6-1, 6-4
No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 3 Rafael Nadal; 6-3, 6-3
Day 7 Recap
Rafael Nadal may be the king of clay, but he was denied an opportunity to vie for his ninth career Monte-Carlo Masters title Saturday as he was defeated by top-seeded Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
The Serbian star was in control from the very start, and Rafa never posed much of a challenge as he won just six games in the entire match.
Djoker won the Monte-Carlo Masters for the first and only time in 2013 as he defeated Nadal in the final. While Djokovic once again got the upper hand on one of his biggest rivals, he still has to pick up another victory before he can call himself a two-time champion at Monte-Carlo.
Djokovic will have to get past No. 6 Tomas Berdych, who was perhaps more impressive than anyone Saturday as he took down No. 14 Gael Monfils in straight sets.
The exciting Frenchman took only one game in the opening set, and he was unable to rebound as he fell to the talented Czech.
According to ATPWorldTour.com, Monfils continues to search for answers regarding how to pose a threat to Berdych:
"Tomas is one of the players who gives me the most trouble. I can't find, not even talking about a solution, but a way of playing that gives him trouble and that I can feel comfortable with. My game doesn't give him trouble at all. I am not even frustrated, because I knew it would happen beforehand. I hope I will find a solution someday.
"
Berdych is in fine form right now, but Djokovic will undoubtedly represent his biggest challenge yet. Based on the manner in which Djoker has been playing throughout the tournament, it is fair to question if anyone can take him down.
Although Berdych certainly won't back down from the challenge, he has to find a way to raise his level of play even higher.
He could potentially give Djokovic a run for his money if he is able to do that, but the world's No. 1 player remains the heavy favorite entering Sunday's final.
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Day 6 Results
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Quarterfinal Results
No. 6 Tomas Berdych def. No. 4 Milos Raonic; 5-2, retired
No. 14 Gael Monfils def. No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov; 6-1, 6-3
No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 8 Marin Cilic; 6-0, 6-3
No. 3 Rafael Nadal def. No. 5 David Ferrer; 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
Day 6 Recap
The quarterfinal round at the 2015 Monte-Carlo Masters was headlined by No. 1 Novak Djokovic, and the sensational Serb certainly didn't disappoint as he defeated No. 8 Marin Cilic in straight sets to advance to the semifinals.
Djoker was dominant in a 6-0, 6-3 romp, and he is feeling good about his current form, according to ATPWorldTour.com:
"I've played quite a lot of matches this year, so I don't think I'm missing the competitive rhythm on the court; I actually feel confident," Djokovic said. "I've played and won a lot of matches this year, fortunately."
Djokovic may be the odds-on favorite to win the tournament, but a berth in the final is far from guaranteed as he will have to take on clay-court savant Rafael Nadal in the semifinals.
Rafa gutted out a three-set win over fellow Spaniard David Ferrer, and he kept his hopes for a ninth career Monte-Carlo Masters title alive.
Much of the focus will be on the battle between Djokovic and Nadal, but there are some interesting things going on elsewhere as well.
The other side of the draw has featured plenty of intrigue since the elimination of Roger Federer opened things up in a big way. No. 14 Gael Monfils is the one who ousted Fed, and he continued his surprising run with a straight-sets triumph over No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov.
He will move on to face No. 6 Tomas Berdych, who had a 5-2 lead in the first set over No. 4 Milos Raonic before the big Canadian was forced to retire from the match due to injury.
Although Berdych benefited from his opponent's plight, the Czech star has been playing well and has the utmost confidence ahead of the semis, per ATPWorldTour.com:
"So far everything is going well," Berdych said. "My preparation is really good. I've done as much as I could, playing on the clay right after the Miami, which is a good sign for me. I'm able to execute it in the matches."
The winner of the clash between Monfils and Berdych will have a massive challenge on their hands in the final against an elite player, but that adds a great deal of intrigue due to the David vs. Goliath story that is likely to play out.
The 2015 Monte-Carlo Masters have featured everything from top seeds rolling to underdogs pulling off upsets, and that should make for a highly entertaining finish to the tournament.
Day 5 Results
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Day 5 Scores
No. 4 Milos Raonic def. No. 16 Tommy Robredo; 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov def. No. 7 Stanislas Wawrinka; 6-1, 6-2
No. 14 Gael Monfils def. No. 2 Roger Federer; 6-4, 7-6(5)
No. 6 Tomas Berdych def. No. 12 Roberto Bautista Agut; 7-6(7), 6-4
No. 3 Rafael Nadal def. No. 15 John Isner; 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3
No. 8 Marin Cilic def. No. 11 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga; 6-3, 7-6(5)
No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. Andreas Haider-Maurer; 6-4, 6-0
No. 5 David Ferrer def. No. 10 Gilles Simon; 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-1
Day 5 Recap
After chalk ruled the day at the Monte-Carlo Masters Wednesday, things got a bit more interesting during Thursday's third-round action.
The biggest shocker of the day undoubtedly came courtesy of No. 14 seed Gael Monfils, who upset No. 2 Roger Federer in straight sets. The flashy Frenchman mystified Fed on clay, and after the match, the Swiss superstar admitted that he was still getting acclimated to the surface, according to ATPWorldTour.com:
"It's the very beginning of the clay court season. It's going to take me some time to feel 100 percent comfortable. ... Not many guys are perfect this week. But it was a good week for me anyways to come here and practice with the best, play a couple of matches. At least gives me some information, if I'm trying to be a bit positive right now.
"
With Federer out of the picture, that opens the door for No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Rafael Nadal, both of whom advanced to the quarterfinals.
Djoker dominated unseeded Andreas Haider-Maurer in straight sets, but Rafa had a bit tougher time as he needed three sets to get past American John Isner.
Nadal has struggled on clay against Isner before as he was pushed to five sets at the 2011 French Open, but the Spaniard is thrilled with the manner in which he was able to close out Thursday's match, per ATPWorldTour.com:
"My mentality in the third (set was) very positive. The game, the level of tennis, (it) improved a little bit in the third than in the previous two sets. That's very important for me. (I'm) very happy to be in the quarterfinals. (It's a) very important result for me. ... (It's) a challenge for me to find again the positive feelings, the confidence, the feeling that I am strong again. Matches like today, (the) third set today, helps to improve, helps to arrive to that place that I want to be.
"
Nadal is very much in the running for his ninth Monte-Carlo Masters title, but their won't be a repeat winner from last year as 2014 champion Stanislas Wawrinka was picked apart in straight sets by No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov.
Djokovic and Nadal have met in the Monte-Carlo finals on several occasions, but since they are in the same half of the draw this time, that won't be the case in 2015.
That means the likes of Monfils, Dimitrov, Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic have an opportunity to go all the way, and that will most definitely add some intrigue to the tournament moving forward.
Day 4 Results
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Day 4 Scores
No. 6 Tomas Berdych def. Sergiy Stakhovsky; 6-4, 7-6(2)
No. 7 Stanislas Wawrinka def. Juan Monaco; 6-1, 6-4
No. 12 Roberto Bautista Agut def. Philipp Kohlschreiber; 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-6(4)
No. 16 Tommy Robredo def. Marcel Granollers; 6-1, 6-1
No. 3 Rafael Nadal def. Lucas Pouille; 6-2, 6-1
No. 10 Gilles Simon def. Benoit Paire; 6-4, 7-5
No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov def. Fabio Fognini; 6-3, 6-4
No. 15 John Isner def. Viktor Troicki; 7-6(4), 7-6(5)
No. 4 Milos Raonic def. Joao Sousa; 6-3, 7-6(4)
No. 2 Roger Federer def. Jeremy Chardy; 6-2, 6-1
No. 11 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. David Goffin; 6-3, 6-4
No. 14 Gael Monfils def. Alexandr Dolgopolov; 7-6(5), 7-6(6)
Day 4 Recap
Day 4 at the Monte-Carlo Masters featured a number of high-profile players competing in second-round matches, and all of them managed to advance to the third round.
Every seeded player came out on top, including No. 2 Roger Federer and No. 3 Rafael Nadal.
Fed was dominant in a 6-2, 6-1 victory over France's Jeremy Chardy, and the Swiss superstar felt as though his ability to serve and return serve ultimately made the difference in the match, according to ATPWorldTour.com:
"I thought Jeremy didn't serve very well, and I felt good on the return. So I was in a lot of the service games when he was serving. Then I thought I served well, had a high first serve percentage and was able to control the baseline. On clay, things move ahead very quickly, I must say.
"
Federer will move on to face 14th-seeded Gael Monfils, who also advanced Wednesday with a win over Alexandr Dolgopolov.
As for Rafa, he had little issue in taking down Frenchman Lucas Pouille by a score of 6-2, 6-1. The tricky lefty was most definitely locked in, and he was absolutely thrilled with his performance, per ATPWorldTour.com:
"Today, I played solidly. Today, I played with no mistakes in a row. I played aggressively when I had to play aggressive. I hit some good passing shots than (in) the past couple of months. (It is) a thing that I haven't been doing very well. ... I will go back to the hotel with (a) fantastic feeling, because I played probably the best match of the year for me. ... I played with the right mentality (and) the right concentration.
"
The Spaniard is an eight-time Monte-Carlo Masters champion, although he hasn't won the title since 2012, so he has something to prove ahead of his third-round matchup with American John Isner, who needed a pair of tiebreaks to beat Viktor Troicki Wednesday.
In other action, defending Monte-Carlo champ Stanislas Wawrinka defeated Juan Monaco in straight sets, while No. 4 Milos Raonic and No. 6 Tomas Berdych also advanced without dropping a set.
With several unseeded players going down Wednesday, that means the level of competition will undoubtedly be ratcheted up in the third round and beyond.
The Monte-Carlo Masters boasts just as much star power as the grand slam tournaments do, and the final result will likely play a big role in the perception of the world's top players prior to the French Open.
Day 3 Results
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Day 3 Scores
(1) Novak Djokovic def. Albert Ramos Vinolas; 6-1, 6-4
(5) David Ferrer def. Victor Estrella Burgos; 6-2, 2-0 ret.
(8) Marin Cilic def. Florian Mayer; 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
(9) Grigor Dimitrov def. Fernando Verdasco; 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
(10) Gilles Simon def. Benjamin Balleret; 6-4, 6-2
(11) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Jan-Lennard Struff; 6-4, 6-4
(14) Gael Monfils def. Andrey Kuznetsov; 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
(16) Tommy Robredo def. Andreas Seppi; 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
Viktor Troicki def. Martin Klizan; 7-6, 5-7, 6-2
Andreas Haider-Maurer def. Bernard Tomic; 6-7, 7-6, 6-4
Lucas Pouille def. Dominic Thiem; 6-4, 6-4
Juan Monaco def. Jiri Vesely; 6-4, 6-2
Jeremy Chardy def. Diego Schwartzman; 7-5, 6-2
Marcel Granollers def. Adrian Mannarino; 6-3, 6-0
Recap
There were eight seeded players in action at the Monte-Carlo Masters on Tuesday and all of them emerged victorious. It's rare to go through such a busy day without at least one minor upset but the four seeds that went to a third set all managed to escape.
Djokovic played his first match of the tournament after getting a bye in the opening round. He made quick work of Ramos Vinolas, who had scored an impressive victory over Robin Haase. The top seed broke four times in eight return games.
The ATP Tour passed along comments from the Serbian sensation, who was happy with his overall performance in his return to clay.
"I felt very good," Djokovic said. "I thought, considering the amount of months that I haven't played on the clay courts, to play against somebody that is a clay-court specialist, and win in two sets, I thought it was a very good performance. I can just take positives from today."
Ferrer is always a threat on clay because his defensive style fits the surface perfectly. The No. 5 seed looked good in the first 10 games of his match before Estrella Burgos was forced to retire due to injury. A meeting with Rafael Nadal could loom in the quarterfinals.
Outside of the seeds, Haider-Maurer continued to impress. One day after crushing 13th-seeded Ernests Gulbis—he lost just a single game—he came through an extremely close match with Tomic in three sets. He had 15 aces in the victory and gets prepared to face Djokovic next.
Wednesday will be another star-studded day at the Monte Carlo Country Club. Roger Federer, Milos Raonic, Tomas Berdych, Stan Wawrinka and Nadal are all in action, among others. It will be interesting to see if they can keep the upset bug at bay.
The tournament is an important stop as players start preparing for the French Open. The season's second major is now just over a month away.
Day 2 Results
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Day 2 Scores
(15) John Isner def. Steve Johnson; 6-4, 6-4
(12) Roberto Bautista def. Benjamin Becker; 6-0, 6-2
Joao Sousa def. Edouard Roger-Vasselin; 6-1, 3-6, 6-0
Fabio Fognini def. Jerzy Janowicz; 6-3, 6-1
Albert Ramos def. Robin Haase; 6-1, 6-1
Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Pablo Carreno; 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4
Alexandr Dolgopolov def. Borna Coric; 7-5, 5-7, 6-2
David Goffin def. Norbert Gombos; 6-1, 6-4
Benoit Paire def. Denis Kudla; 6-3 7-6(3)
Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Mikhail Kukushkin; 6-4, 6-4
Andreas Haider-Maurer def. (13) Ernests Gulbis; 6-1, 6-0
Recap
It did not take long for the first major upset at the Monte-Carlo Masters, as Andreas Haider-Maurer's 6-1, 6-0 drubbing of 13th-seeded Ernests Gulbis led the way on what was otherwise a nondescript group of early-round matches.
The unseeded Austrian took advantage of a completely out-of-sorts Gulbis, winning on nearly three-quarters of his service points and holding off all three break opportunities. Gulbis was his own worst enemy, striking six double-faults and making a series of bad unforced errors.
"I was in a great state of mind this week practicing," Gulbis said, per Samuel Petrequin of The Associated Press. "Everything was really good, except the match. This one last hour was bad in Monte Carlo. All the rest of the week was really unbelievable. It was just this one hour."
Outside that result, it was a mostly easy day for the seeded players in action. John Isner battled to a 6-4, 6-4 win over Steve Johnson, drilling 13 aces and facing just one break point amid a flurry of excellent service points. Roberto Bautista had what turned out to be little more than a walkover against Benjamin Becker, winning 17 of 19 second-serve return points and playing a nearly flawless match on his return.
"I don't mind playing on clay. I've had some good results on it before," Isner said, per Petrequin. "It does some things for my game that I think maybe people don't realize, that are very good for my game."
Elsewhere, notables Philipp Kohlschreiber and Fabio Fognini continued their push to reclaiming their former status with easy straight-set wins. Also victorious was Sergiy Stakhovsky, who played perhaps the day's most exciting match against Pablo Carreno. Stakhovsky moves on to play sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych.
Day 1 Results
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First-Round Results
Bernard Tomic def. Lukas Rosol, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Victor Estrella Burgos def. Simone Bolelli, 6-4, 7-6
Florian Mayer def. Mikhail Youzhny, 7-6, 6-4
Qualifying Results
Denis Kudla def. Elias Ymer, 6-4, 6-0
Albert Ramos-Vinolas def. Robin Haase, 6-4, 7-5
Edouard Roger-Vasselin def. Jan-Lennard Struff, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6
Diego Schwartzman def. Albert Montanes, 6-4, 6-4
Norbert Gombos def. Denis Istomin, 4-3 (retired)
Andrey Kuznetsov def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 7-6, 6-1
Benoit Paire def. Thiemo de Bakker, 6-1, 6-2
Recap
Bernard Tomic and Florian Mayer were the big names in action on Sunday, and both handled their business without too much incident, though Lukas Rosol and Mikhail Youzhny each put up a fight respectively. Tomic needed a third set to get past Rosol, who took the first, while Mayer survived a first-set tiebreaker before taking the second against Youzhny.
Tomic has now beaten Rosol twice on the season and has been playing quite well of late, including his run to the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, while Mayer has to be pleased with his first match in 13 months after a long layoff due to injury.
Victor Estrella Burgos, the other winner in Round 1 action, earned the right to face David Ferrer in Round 2. Not exactly the friendliest draw for Burgos.
While the big stars have Round 1 byes, some of the heavier hitters will start hitting the courts on Monday, as players like No. 12 Roberto Bautista Agut, No. 13 Ernests Gulbis and No. 15 John Isner are all in action.
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