Jannik Sinner & Lorenzo Musetti become 1st U-21 pairing from same country to make Monte-Carlo 3R since Rafael Nadal & Tommy Robredo in 2003

Italians Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti became the first U-21 pairing from the same country to reach the third round of the Monte-Carlo Masters since Rafael Nadal and Tommy Robredo in 2003. The Italian duo advanced to the last 16 of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament on Wednesday.

World No. 12 Sinner overcame 198th-ranked Borna Coric 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in the opening round in Monte-Carlo on Monday. It was the 20-year-old's first meeting with the Croatian - a former World No. 12 - who recently returned to action after missing over a year with a shoulder injury.

Sinner then saw off Finnish qualifier Emil Ruusuvuori 7-5, 6-3 in the second round of the claycourt event. He now holds a 4-0 tour-level head-to-head record against the World No. 81.

The Italian will play World No. 8 Andrey Rublev in the third round on Thursday. He won the pair's only previous claycourt encounter 6-2, 7-6(6) in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open last year.

World No. 83 Musetti, meanwhile, defeated 61st-ranked Benoit Paire 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-2 in the first round of the Masters 1000 event on Tuesday. With the win, he improved his record against the Frenchman to 2-0.

In the second round, the 20-year-old upset World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 7-6(2), after recovering from a break down in the second set. The Italian now holds a 2-1 record against the 21-year-old Canadian. Musetti was beaten 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the third round on Thursday by World No. 16 Diego Schwartzman.

At the 2003 Monte-Carlo Masters, the Spanish duo of Nadal and Robredo were the previous pair of compatriots under 21 to reach the third round.

The then 16-year-old Nadal, making his ATP Masters 1000 debut as a qualifier, crushed Karol Kucera 6-2, 6-1 in the opening round. Nadal then upset defending Roland Garros champion Albert Costa 7-5, 6-3 in the second round, before falling to a 7-6(3), 6-2 defeat to World No. 26 Guillermo Coria in the third round.

No. 16 seed Robredo, then aged 20, downed Martin Verkerk 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round in Monte-Carlo, before crusing past qualifier Julien Benneteau 6-2, 6-2. Like his younger countryman, Robredo's run ended in the third round with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to second seed Carlos Moya.

Rafael Nadal withdrew from the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters due to injury

Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

Rafael Nadal withdrew ahead of the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters due to a rib stress fracture he suffered in Indian Wells last month. The injury occurred during the third set of his semi-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells.

It is only the second time the Spaniard has missed the tournament since making his debut in 2003. The 35-year-old lost to eventual runner-up Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals of last year's edition. Nadal has won an ATP Masters 1000 record of 11 titles in Monte-Carlo.