The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters draw was revealed on Friday, and it is most definitely a good one for top seed Carlos Alcaraz.
Among the other highly seeded players with first-round byes in the top half of the bracket are Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur, and Alexander Bublik. Musetti has played only one match since sustaining a leg injury against Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarterfinals. De Minaur is 1-3 in his last four matches and has a history of struggles on clay. The dirt is also Bublik’s worst surface — even though he made a run to the Roland Garros quarters last spring.
The story is much different for Jannik Sinner at the bottom of the bracket. He could face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last eight and Alexander Zverev in the semis. Even Francisco Cerundolo, Stefanos Tsitsipas, or Tomas Machac could present a tough test for the second-ranked Italian in round three. Although Tsitsipas is in a massive slump, he loves clay and is a three-time champion in Monte-Carlo.
Alcaraz lifted the trophy in the principality for the first time last year. Sinner is hoping to take the title for the first time this year.
First-round matches to watch in Monte-Carlo include Cerundolo vs. Tsitsipas, Stan Wawrinka vs. Sebastian Baez, Gael Monfils vs. Tallon Griekspoor, Frances Tiafoe vs. Terence Atmane, Joao Fonseca vs. Gabriel Diallo, and Karen Khachanov vs. Arthur Rinderknech.
Check out the full Monte-Carlo Masters draw at the ATP website