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With the spring claycourt season up and running, the first Masters 1000 competition on the surface will take place in Monte Carlo.
Last year, Stefanos Tsitsipas won the tournament by beating Andrey Rublev in the final. The Greek will be keen on defending his title but there are a number of players who are capable of contending for it. These include Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and of course, Novak Djokovic.
The Serb has only played one tournament this year in Dubai but his quality and experience, along with the absence of Rafael Nadal, make him the favorite to land his third title in Monte-Carlo.
The draw was recently released, throwing up some exciting first-round matches.
Let's take a look at five of the best first-round matches at this year's Monte-Carlo Masters.
#1. Hubert Hurkacz vs Gael Monfils
This is perhaps the most high-profile matchup of the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters. Hurkacz has been in pretty good form lately, having reached the semifinals of the Miami Masters. However, the Pole has a poor record on clay, winning only nine out of 27 matches on the surface so far.
Monfils has produced some good performances on clay but his recent form on the surface has not been too good, winning 21 out of 46 matches on the surface since the start of 2017.
It will be quite interesting to see how the match unfolds with both players capable of producing some fine tennis.
Head-to-head: Tied at 1-1
#2. Stan Wawrinka vs Alexander Bublik
2014 champion Stan Wawrinka will make his return to the ATP tour at the Monte-Carlo Masters and will be up against big-serving Alexander Bublik in the first round. Many will be excited to see the Swiss back in action. He competed in an ATP Challenger tournament in Marbella last week and was beaten by Elias Ymer in straight sets in the first round.
Given that Wawrinka is returning to action after several months, Bublik will be considered the favorite. However, the Swiss is a better claycourt player and has a lot of experience on tour. As such, he is certainly capable of giving Bublik a run for his money.
Head-to-head: First meeting
#3. Marin Cilic vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is in the last few months of what has been an impressive career. The Frenchman has reached the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters twice and will be entering the competition for one final time.
Tsonga has been drawn against Marin Cilic in the first round. The Croat is ranked significantly higher than the Frenchman and his recent form has been better as well.
Cilic will be the overwhelming favorite to win the match but given the overall reputation of both players, this will be one to look out for.
Head-to-head: Cilic leads 6-2
#4. Diego Schwartzman vs Karen Khachanov
Schwartzman is currently ranked 16th in the world and will be eager to make full use of the claycourt season to rise up a few spots. Many of the Argentine's best results have come on the surface, including his only Masters 1000 final (Rome 2020) and the French Open semifinals, also in 2020.
Schwartzman will be up against World No. 24 Khachanov in the first round. While the Argentine has a better record on clay, Khachanov cannot be written off. Schwartzman has won eight out of 11 matches on clay this year and will be the favorite to win.
Head-to-head: Tied at 2-2
#5. Grigor Dimitrov vs Nikoloz Basilashvili
Former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov had a pretty decent summer in the United States as he reached the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Masters.
The Bulgarian, who is ranked 28th in the world, will open his Monte-Carlo campaign against World No. 20 Nikoloz Basilashvili, who has had a disappointing few months in 2022. The Georgian reached the final of the Qatar Open but has not won any other matches this year.
From a ranking perspective, this is expected to be a closely-fought affair but form-wise, the latter is the favorite.
Head-to-head: Dimitrov leads 1-0
Also Check Out: Gael Monfils Parents
