ATP Tour

Berrettini/Vavassori edge De Minaur/Norrie in Monte-Carlo R1 tussle

Matteo Berrettini and Andrea Vavassori pulled out a powerful finish to clinch a hard-earned first-round victory on Monday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

Competing as wild cards at the ATP Masters 1000 event, the Italian duo overcame Alex de Minaur and Cameron Norrie 6-4, 4-6, 10-5. Berrettini and Vavassori won 83 per cent (34/41) of points behind first serves, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and raised their level late to crucially win seven of the final 10 points of the Match Tie-break.

The No. 15 player in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings, Vavassori is more than familiar with his team's next opponents in Monte-Carlo: third seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten. At the Miami Open presented by Itau last month, Vavassori and his regular partner Simone Bolelli downed Heliovaara and Patten to claim their maiden Masters 1000 trophy.

There was joy for local fans early on Monday in Monaco, where home favourite and defending champion Romain Arneodo and his French partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert defeated Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6(6), 3-6, 10-5. Arenodo completed his 2025 triumph at the Monte-Carlo Country Club alongside another Frenchman, Manuel Guinard, who this year forms the eighth-seeded pairing with Guido Andreozzi.

There is guaranteed to be a Monegasque presence in the quarter-finals, with Arneodo (alongside Herbert) to come up against his countryman Hugo Nys in the second round. Nys and his French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin overcame Francisco Cabral and Joe Salisbury 6-4, 7-6(2) to round out Monday’s doubles action.