Monte-Carlo Masters 2025 Day 3 Recap – Perfect Tennis

Day 3 at the Monte-Carlo Country Club brought a whirlwind of action as the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters Round of 64 concluded and the Round of 32 began, delivering upsets, 48-shot rallies and gritty comebacks on the red clay.

Matteo Berrettini stole the headlines, ousting top seed Alexander Zverev in a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 epic, while defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas battled back to defeat Jordan Thompson 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

The day wasn’t without surprises; 10th seed Holger Rune retired against Nuno Borges, and Ugo Humbert fell to Alexei Popyrin in a three-set thriller.

Meanwhile, Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, and Frances Tiafoe notched impressive wins to advance.

Full results from Tuesday’s matches below, plus select highlights as the tournament heats up in The Principality.

Day Three 2025 Monte Carlo Round of 64 and 32 Results

Round of 64

Winner
Loser
Scoreline

Nuno Borges
Holger Rune (10)
6-2 3-0 RET

Pedro Martinez
Lorenzo Sonego
6-4 1-6 6-2

Grigor Dimitrov (15)
Nicolas Jarry
6-3 6-4

Tomas Machac
Sebastian Baez
3-6 6-3 6-2

Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Corentin Moutet (Q)
4-6 6-1 6-4

Frances Tiafoe
Miomir Kecmanovic
6-2 5-7 7-6(5)

Alexei Popyrin
Ugo Humbert
3-6 7-6(2) 6-4

Roberto Bautista Agut
Brandon Nakashima
6-2 6-4

Flavio Cobolli
Dusan Lajovic (Q)
6-4 6-2

Arthur Fils (12)
Tallon Griekspoor
6-7(3) 6-4 6-2

Round of 32

Winner
Loser
Scoreline

Matteo Berrettini
Alexander Zverev (1)
2-6 6-3 7-5

Stefanos Tsitsipa (6)
Jordan Thompson
4-6 6-4 6-2

Jack Draper (5)
Marcos Giron
6-1 6-1

Berrettini Blasts Through Zverev

Matteo Berrettini was a dominant force on clay post Wimbledon last season, and he’s similarly started 2025, firing past Sascha Zverev 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a two-hour, 27-minute battle.

It’s the Italian’s biggest ever win in terms of ranking, although perhaps somewhat misleading as Zverev has been handing out wins against the world number 2 like sweets since the Australian Open 😁

In this one, Zverev dominated early, racing through the first set as Berrettini struggled to find his rhythm.

However, Berrettini has a potent serve and forehand, and he dialled up his aggression, levelling the match and carrying the momentum into a tense decider.

At 5-4, Berrettini faltered while serving for the match, but he regrouped with flair. At 5-5, 40/40, he dug in for a grueling 48-shot rally, clinching it with a forehand winner that brought the crowd to its feet.

Moments later, he broke when Zverev couldn’t retrieve a ball in the backhand corner, and this time, Berrettini didn’t waver, sealing the win on serve and raising his arms to soak in the raucous cheers.

For Zverev, he has not played well since Australia, and he’s gone from having a realistic chance at world number 1 to barely winning a match. He’ll look to regroup at the ATP 500 in Munich on home soil, but his forehand is a complete liability, and unless he stops pushing the ball in, the trend will continue.

I have not won many matches. So it’s been the worst period since my injury for the last few months. I played a great first set, and once I got broken in the second set, I played 10 levels down. My ball is much slower. I stop hitting the ball. The same story for the last few months. Nothing changes. So it’s me who lost the match, once again… I thought my level was terrible, but that’s just my opinion. It’s a matter that I’m losing. It’s as simple as that. You win one or two matches like this; there are no more questions for me in my mind. But I lost three sets in Buenos Aires, I lost three sets in Rio, I lost three sets in Indian Wells, I lost three sets in Miami, I lost three sets here, and I didn’t win a single one. So that’s the matter. Zverev on his loss.

Tsitsipas Turns the Tide Against Thompson

Stefanos Tsitsipas often delivers his best at the Principality, and he staged a gritty 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 comeback against Jordan Thompson on Tuesday to kick off his title defense.

Thompson, who has only won 2 matches on clay at the Masters 1000 level in his career, wasn’t expected to pose much of a threat, but he caused the Greek problems early.

However, Tsitsipas adjusted his game plan, shifting to a more aggressive return position in the second set, which paid dividends. Ultimately, he ended up running away a comfortable winner, winning seven of the last nine games to progress.

Next up, the 26-year-old faces either Nuno Borges or Pedro Martinez in the third round.

I really didn’t know what to expect, you don’t know what your opponent is capable of. He showed a good first set, he seemed to be playing quite reserved and wasn’t giving me much to work with. I was just trying to find something to reignite that consistency within my game. Tsitsipas on his win.

Other Matches of Note

Italian Flavio Cobolli backed up his Bucharest title by moving past qualifier Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 6-2 in a confident opening match. Fresh off his first ATP Tour title in Romania, where he defeated Sebastian Baez, Cobolli dictated play with his aggressive baseline game to firmly put to bed his woeful start to the season.

He’ll face 12th seed Arthur Fils in the second round after the Frenchman outlasted Tallon Griekspoor 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 in a two-hour, 19-minute grind. Fils, who struggled on serve early, found his rhythm in the decider, winning eight of the last ten games to advance.

Elsewhere, 14th seed Frances Tiafoe survived a rollercoaster against Miomir Kecmanovic, prevailing 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(5). Tiafoe, who arrived in Monte-Carlo after competing in Houston, looked sharp in the first set but faltered as Kecmanovic battled back to force a decider. The American held firm in the third-set tiebreak, winning the final three points to advance after two hours and 43 minutes.

He’ll now face Alexei Popyrin, who staged a comeback of his own to upset Ugo Humbert 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4. Will Big Foe have anything left in the tank after Houston, a trans Atlantic flight and today’s three-setter?

15th seed Grigor Dimitrov dispatched Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 6-4. The Monaco resident won 72% of his first-serve points, setting up a second-round clash with local wildcard Valentin Vacherot.

Meanwhile, Nuno Borges pulled off a surprise, leading 10th seed Holger Rune 6-2, 3-0 when the Dane retired due to injury. The 2023 finalist, Rune, struggled physically, handing Borges a path to the second round, where he’ll face Pedro Martinez, who battled past Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in a topsy-turvy affair.

Tomas Machac also impressed, overcoming serial clay winner Sebastian Baez 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round.

The Czech, a consistent performer over the last 18 months, adjusted his game after a slow start, using his flat groundstrokes to dictate play and set up a meeting with eighth seed Alex de Minaur.

Rounding out the action, Roberto Bautista Agut cruised past Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-4, while Tomas Martin Etcheverry fought back to defeat qualifier Corentin Moutet 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 and end his losing streak.

Highlights

Monte Carlo 2025 Day 4 Round of 32 Matches