Arthur Fils became the youngest Frenchman in nearly two decades to win a match at the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters on Monday in Monaco.
The 19-year-old only needed 62 minutes to beat Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann 6-0, 6-2 in first-round action. He won 21 of 25 first-service points (84 percent), saved three of four break points and finished with 11 winners and just seven unforced errors.
“I watched a lot this tournament on TV. I saw many champions. I’m happy to play here for the first time,” Fils said. “Well, it’s good to play the tournament, but it’s also good to win matches, and I hope I’ll keep coming here in the following years, and I’m sure it’s going to become a milestone in my season.”
Fils’ countryman Richard Gasquet was 18 when he upset Roger Federer at this tournament in 2005.
Up next for Fils is Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated No. 13 seed Taylor Fritz in straight sets on Sunday.
Unseeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Italian qualifier Luca Nardi, setting up a second-round showdown with No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.
Auger-Aliassime did not face a break point in the 82-minute match, finishing with 21 winners and nine unforced errors. It was just his second win in five appearances in Monte Carlo.
“It is not the Masters where I have had the most success, even though I train here and live here. But it is a good start to the week,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I am really happy with my level, taking control of the match and staying composed and taking care of business.”
Auger-Aliassime is 3-2 against Alcaraz heading into their first meeting on clay.
No. 9 seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria improved to 7-0 in first-round matches in 2024 with a 7-5, 6-2 win against local favorite Valentin Vacherot.
“It was a difficult match,” said Dimitrov, a two-time semifinalist in Monaco. “I am glad I kept on going. I know I was far away from my game but I have other things I can do in moments like that and that helped me step up a little bit and that was enough.”
In other action involving seeded players, No. 12 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece defeated Serbia’s Laslo Djere 6-3, 3-2 (retired) and No. 14 Ugo Humbert of France rallied to defeat Argentina’s Federico Coria 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. No. 15 Karen Khachanov of Russia held off Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie 7-5, 7-6 (3).
–Field Level Media
