Tomás Etcheverry makes solid start in Monte Carlo against Dimitrov | OneFootball

At a very high level, Tomás Etcheverry (ATP No. 30) managed to take the first big step at the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 by defeating Grigor Dimitrov (No. 93) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in nearly two hours of play. The Argentine enjoyed a great debut and, in addition to eliminating the former world Top 3 player, knocked him out of the Top 100 for the first time in 14 years.

A back-and-forth battle of high-quality tennis between the Argentine and the Bulgarian on the Des Princes court at the Monaco venue, where both players traded blows to take 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 pull ahead on the scoreboard and build the edge he needed to advance.

In this way, he continues to fulfill his mission just as he has since his first appearance in 2023: a winning debut. It is already Etcheverry’s fourth victory at the first Masters 1000 event of the clay-court swing, and his first against a former world Top 3 player. 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 owns a 16-7 record this season, further strengthening his strong form heading into what is, statistically, one of his favorite stretches of the year.

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

In the second round, the Argentine will face Terence Atmane (No. 45), who beat Ethan Quinn (No. 54) 6-1, 6-4. If he reaches the third round, only then could he come up against a seeded player. On his side of the draw, none other than Carlos Alcaraz was upset, 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.