Tomás Etcheverry makes a solid Monte Carlo Masters start v Dimitrov | OneFootball

With a high-level performance, Tomás Etcheverry (ATP No. 30) took the first big step at the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 by beating Grigor Dimitrov (No. 93) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in nearly two hours of play. The Argentine had a great debut, and besides eliminating the former world No. 3, he also pushed him out of the Top 100 for the first time in 14 years.

It was a back-and-forth battle of quality tennis between the Argentine and the Bulgarian on the Des Princes court at the Monaco venue, where both shared the momentum and took the match to a deciding set. However, the 35 unforced errors from the player from Haskovo proved decisive, allowing the man from La Plata to take control of the scoreboard and build the lead he needed to move on to the next round.

In this way, he continues to fulfill his mission just as he has since his first appearance in 2023: winning on his debut. It is now the fourth victory Etcheverry has recorded at the first Masters 1000 of the clay-court swing, and his first against a former world No. 3. The only previous meeting between them had ended in a Dimitrov win at the 2024 Paris Masters 1000.

The recent Rio ATP 500 champion now holds a 16-7 record this season, further strengthening his strong form heading into what is, statistically, one of his favorite stretches of the year.

For his part, although flashes of his fine game can still be seen, the reality is that Dimitrov is not going through his best moment, having managed just two wins so far this year (1R of Indian Wells and Brisbane) and a total of seven losses. This affects him more than expected, because as a result the David Nalbandian pupil drops out of the Top 100 for the first time in 14 years. Troubling numbers for someone still trying to keep the flame of beautiful tennis alive.

In the second round, the Argentine will play Terence Atmane (No. 45), who defeated Ethan Quinn (No. 54) 6-1, 6-4. If he reaches the third round, that is when he could first face a seeded player. On his side of the draw, none other than Carlos Alcaraz was knocked out, so he could end up facing the world No. 1 in the Principality.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.