Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters 2016: Tuesday Tennis Scores, Results, Updated Schedule
Several of the top players in the world got their Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters off to a strong start on Tuesday, though a few big names had their struggles in second-round play.
Below, we'll break down the day's results and take a look at Wednesday's schedule.
Tuesday
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| 2 | No. 2 Andy Murray | 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 | Pierre-Hugues Herbert |
| 2 | No. 3 Roger Federer | 6-3, 6-4 | Guillermo Garcia-Lopez |
| 2 | No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | 7-6, 7-6 | Pablo Carreno Busta |
| 2 | No. 15 Gilles Simon | 6-4, 6-3 | Grigor Dimitrov |
| 1 | No. 11 David Goffin | 7-5, 6-0 | Feliciano Lopez |
| 1 | Pablo Cuevas | 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 | Daniel Gimeno-Traver |
| 1 | Taro Daniel | 6-3, 6-4 | Adrian Mannarino |
| 1 | Damir Dzumhur | 6-2, 6-0 | Robin Haase |
| 1 | Philipp Kohlschreiber | 6-4, 6-4 | Borna Coric |
| 1 | Paolo Lorenzi | 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 | Fabio Fognini |
| 1 | Joao Sousa | 6-3, 7-6 | Ivo Karlovic |
| 1 | Fernando Verdasco | 6-0, 6-3 | Federico Delbonis |
| 1 | Jiri Vesely | 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 | Teymuraz Gabashvili |
No. 2 Andy Murray opened his Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Tuesday, but he didn't do so in style, struggling mightily against Pierre-Hugues Herbert and needing three sets to advance.
Afterward, Murray broke down his opponent and his own performance on the day, per Mike Dickson of the Daily Mail:
"He likes to serve and volley but he didn't make many first serves in the first set. He has played three matches already so it was a good one to get through. It was a tough match and I just managed to turn it round in the end. There were some tight moments in the third set and he had some chances. Hopefully I can improve as the clay court season goes on.
"
It was Murray's first match on clay this year, and it showed, as he was broken four times and shockingly lost the second set. Had Herbert not been sloppy in the third set, the match may have come down to the wire.
As it was, however, Murray did enough to get by.
So did No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who needed two tiebreakers to advance past Pablo Carreno Busta. The pair combined for the most memorable rally of the tournament to this point, as TennisTV shared on Twitter:
While Murray and Tsonga struggled, No. 3 Roger Federer cruised, knocking off Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in straight sets. Afterward, Federer talked about his return to action after requiring knee surgery in early February and losing time to a stomach illness.
“I'm glad to be back among the best players in the world,” he said, per AS English. “It was a tough recovery, but you must take it day by day, setting goals and achieving them.”
No. 14 Roberto Bautista Agut sneaked by in his second-round matchup, needing three sets to get past Jeremy Chardy. The pair pushed one another to the limit, as Agut created 21 break points and converted five, while Chardy notched 18 break points (converting four).
The biggest loser on the day was Grigor Dimitrov, meanwhile, as he couldn't get past No. 15 Gilles Simon. He remains a confounding and inconsistent player, as Howard Bryant of ESPN noted:
Dimitrov is still just 24, so there's time for him to figure things out. But to this point, he looks like a player who has the talent but is lacking the mentality to be great.
No. 11 David Goffin advanced to the second round, meanwhile, beating Feliciano Lopez in two sets, including a second-set bagel. Goffin dominated with his serve, winning 82 percent of his first-serve points.
Wednesday
| Court Rainier III | 2 | 5 a.m. | No. 4 Stan Wawrinka vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber |
| Court Rainier III | 2 | Following Wawrinka-Kohlschreiber | No. 5 Rafael Nadal vs. Aljaz Bedene |
| Court Rainier III | 2 | Following Nadal-Bedene | No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. Jiri Vesely |
| Court Rainier III | 2 | Following Djokovic-Vesely | No. 13 Gael Monfils vs. Paolo Lorenzi |
| Court Des Princes | 2 | 5 a.m. | No. 6 Tomas Berdych vs. Damir Dzumhur |
| Court Des Princes | 2 | Following Berdych-Dzumhur | No. 10 Milos Raonic vs. Pablo Cuevas |
| Court Des Princes | 2 | Following Raonic-Cuevas | No. 9 Richard Gasquet vs. Lucas Pouille |
| Court Des Princes | 2 | Following Gasquet-Pouille | Alexander Zverev vs. Marcel Granollers |
| Court 2 | 2 | 5 a.m. | No. 16 Benoit Paire vs. Joao Sousa |
| Court 2 | 2 | Following Paire-Sousa | No. 12 Dominic Thiem vs. Taro Daniel |
| Court 2 | 2 | Following Thiem-Daniel | No. 11 David Goffin vs. Fernando Verdasco |
The Wednesday lineup is stacked, with No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 5 Rafael Nadal opening their tournaments. No. 6 Tomas Berdych, No. 9 Richard Gasquet, No. 10 Milos Raonic, No. 12 Dominic Thiem and No. 16 Benoit Paire will also all be in action.
Tuesday was all chalk, so it will be interesting to see if the top players can repeat that theme tomorrow. All eyes will be on Djokovic and Nadal—namely the latter—as Nadal looks to build toward the French Open and re-establish himself as the game's most dangerous player on clay.
You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.
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