World No.1 Novak Djokovic sought redemption for last year’s loss to Lorenzo Musetti at the Monte-Carlo Masters, securing a 7-5, 6-3 victory over the Italian to advance to the quarter-finals on Thursday. A year ago, Djokovic suffered an upset defeat to Musetti in the third round in the Principality, and there were echoes of that result as Musetti took an early lead.
Despite facing a tough start and struggling in the first set against the 24th-ranked Musetti, Djokovic, the world number one, showed resilience. Overcoming Djokovic twice is no small feat, yet the Serbian did not yield, demonstrating enough consistency in crucial moments to secure his spot in the quarter-finals.
“It was a little exchange with the crowd at 4-3, 40/0 for him in the first set and ever since then I gained momentum. He lost focus a little bit. He was the better player for those first seven games, and played some great tennis. Played really good shots and made me run,” Djokovic said of the opening set as quoted by ATP.
“But this is clay and obviously things can turn around very quickly and a break of serve is not as a big advantage on this surface compared to the other surfaces. We saw a little bit of a rollercoaster in the second set, so I am pleased that staying tough and aggressive in the tight moments paid off,” he added.
At times during the opening set against Musetti, the 36-year-old displayed irritation, as the Italian’s court craft posed challenges for Serbia. However, Djokovic managed to secure the crucial break in the 12th game of the opening set. Subsequently, he played with increased energy and freedom in the second set, ultimately advancing to the last eight after a one-hour and 59-minute match.
“I don’t think I am still at my top level but it was a great test today against a great player, a very talented player. I lost to him last year here, in similar circumstances. I was a set and 4-2 up and I must say it was in the back of my mind when I was serving at 4-2, 40/15 and lost my serve today. I thought, ‘Oh no, hopefully this is not a similar scenario like last year’. I am really glad to overcome the challenge and look forward to the next one,” Djokovic said.
In the quarter-final clash on Friday, Djokovic will face Alex de Minaur. Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner secured his spot in the third ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season by defeating Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-2 at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The Italian experienced an early exchange of breaks but elevated his performance to level the first set at 4-4, eventually breaking Struff’s serve and closing out the set with his own delivery. Despite making 10 unforced errors in the opening set, the 22-year-old displayed powerful shot-making, dominating Struff in heavy-hitting baseline rallies to advance after one hour and 16 minutes.
