Gille/Vliegen win Monte-Carlo title

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Sunday, 14th April
Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen captured their maiden ATP Masters 1000 title as a team on Sunday when they overcame Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev 5-7, 6-3, 10-5 at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The Belgians were strong behind their second serve, winning 60 per cent (15/25) of points behind their second delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats. They then raced clear in the Match Tie-break, playing aggressively to triumph after one hour and 35 minutes.

"We are super happy," Gille said. "It was maybe a little unexpected with the start of the year. We have had a couple of rough months, some adjustments to make and now we start playing on clay and we had an extraordinary week here in Monte-Carlo in one of the most beautiful tournaments in the world. We are just so happy and excited for what is to come."

Gille and Vliegen have now won eight tour-level doubles titles as a team, with their success in Monte-Carlo their first trophy this season. They are just the second and third Belgians to win an ATP Masters 1000 doubles title after Xavier Malisse won in Indian Wells in 2010.

Gille and Vliegen had never advanced beyond the first round as a team in two previous appearances in Monte-Carlo. Earlier this week they beat Jannik Sinner/Lorenzo Sonego, Ivan Dodig/Austin Krajicek, Kevin Krawietz/Tim Puetz and Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos. They are up 18 spots to No. 6 in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

"We have beaten teams we have never beaten before and then in the final, coming back from a set down, so it is a really nice story," Vliegen said.

Melo and Zverev were competing in their first tour-level doubles final as a team.

Saturday, 13th April
Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev excelled in the clutch moments to secure a comeback win against Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic on Saturday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The Brazilian/German duo escaped with a 6-7(3), 7-5, 10-7 victory to advance to the final.

The unseeded pair broke in the final game of the second set to force a Match Tie-break, fuelled by one of the points of the match at 30/30. After Melo's strong work at net, Zverev ripped a backhand winner to bring up break point. The team converted on three of their nine break chances overall, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Melo and Zverev are teaming up for the second time this season, having reached the Indian Wells last 16 in March.

Their final opponents will be Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, who upset third seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-5, 6-4 to reach their first ATP Masters 1000 title match.

Gille and Vliegen, who have won seven tour-level titles together, were aggressive on return, winning 53 per cent of their second-serve return points and converting four of seven break points to advance after one hour, 39 minutes.

The Spanish duo of Granollers and Zeballos were the lone seeded team in the semi-finals. They were aiming for their sixth ATP Masters 1000 trophy in as many different cities.

Friday, 12th April
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos have won five of the nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments as a team. Is this the week they add to their count for a sixth crown at that level with their first Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters trophy?

The third seeds moved one step closer towards the coveted Principality title Friday when they cruised past Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-4, 6-3 after fending off all three break points faced in their 81-minute match.

The Spanish-Argentine duo, aiming for their first title of 2024 after a trio of final appearances, will next meet Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, who defeated sixth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 7-5, 6-4.

Granollers and Zeballos are fourth in the ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings and a title run this week would lift them to second. They have previously won ATP Masters 1000 trophies in Canada, Rome, Madrid, Cincinnati and Shanghai.

Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev also reached the last four after defeating Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune 6-2, 7-6(4). The 20-year-old Rune, who earlier lost to Jannik Sinner in singles, played five sets across singles and doubles for a second consecutive day.

Melo and Zverev will face Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in the semi-finals after the Salvadoran-Croatian pair downed Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 7-6(4).

Thursday, 11th April
Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev pulled double duty Thursday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 event. The German took the court three times Thursday, having also suffered a singles defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Melo and Zverev finished a rain-delayed win against Argentines Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4, 7-6(3) and later upset 2022 champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 6-3, 7-5. The Brazilian-German pair saved 11 of 13 break points faced across both matches to reach the last eight.

Competing as alternates in the main draw, Melo and Zverev will next clash against singles stars Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune.

Also in Thursday’s doubles action, Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin survived wild cards Romain Arneodo and Sam Weissborn 6-7(5), 6-2, 10-5. Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori defeated Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-1, 6-3.

Wednesday, 10th April
Sixth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz were among those to advance Wednesday despite multiple second-round upsets at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The Germans needed just 61 minutes to oust singles stars Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-1 and reach the last eight in the Principality.

Krawietz and Puetz, who last year won the clay-court ATP 500 in Hamburg, will meet Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen in the quarter-finals after the Belgians stunned defending champions and second seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 6-4, 6-3.

Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic also booked their spot in the last eight after they upset top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden 6-3, 7-6(6). 

Third seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos were 6-2, 6-4 winners against Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow.

In the final doubles match of the day, Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev led Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry 2-1 before rain cancelled the remainder of Wednesday's action. The match will resume Thursday after suitable rest for Zverev, who plays Stefanos Tsitsipas in the singles quarter-finals.

The winner of Cerundolo/Etcheverry vs. Melo/Zverev will then return to court for a second-round clash against fourth seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, meaning the German Zverev could play as many as three matches Thursday.

Tuesday, 9th April
Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin held their nerve for an impressive opening victory on Tuesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The all-French duo downed fifth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Neal Skupski 6-3, 7-6(7) in a heavy-hitting first-round clash at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monaco. Mahut and Roger-Vasselin saved all four break points they faced in the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and also rescued the second-set tie-break when set point down at 6/7 before sealing their win.

The 2016 Monte-Carlo champion Mahut and his partner Roger-Vasselin will next take on home favourite Romain Arneodo and Austrian Sam Weissborn. The 2023 finalists booked their second-round spot in the Principality with a 7-6(0), 7-6(2) triumph against Ugo Humbert and Fabrice Martin.

Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori were also straight-sets winners on Tuesday. The Italians downed Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot 7-6(5), 6-2 to set a maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with eighth seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.

In the final match of the day, singles stars Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune continued their doubles run in Monte-Carlo by upsetting the in-form Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic 4-6, 6-3, 12/10. Fritz and Rune saved a match point at 8/9 in the Match Tie-break before rallying to a 93-minute second-round triumph.

Monday, 8th April
Singles stars Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune earned a first-round doubles win at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters Monday when they moved past Lloyd Glasspool and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-3, 6-3.

It is the second time Fritz and Rune have teamed in Monte-Carlo after they reached the quarter-finals last year.

Italian singles stars Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego claimed the first set against Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen before the Belgian duo rebounded to win 6-7(3), 7-5, 10-7.

Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic started their quest for their fourth trophy of the season with a 7-5, 5-7, 10-7 win against Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski after two hours. The seventh seeds will next play Fritz and Rune.

Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow advanced, defeating Jamie Murray and Michael Venus 6-4, 6-4. Lammons and Withrow are chasing their first title of the season together this week.

Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni also won, beating Nicolas Jarry and Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-3. The eighth seeds won a title on clay in Cordoba earlier this year.

Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen moved past Italians Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego 6-7(3), 7-5, 10-7. Sinner will make face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Sebastian Korda in his opening-round singles match in Monte-Carlo.

Sunday, 7th April
Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic made a winning start at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Sunday when they moved past singles stars Grigor Dimitrov and Sebastian Korda 6-4, 6-4.

The El Salvador-Croatian team won 84 per cent (27/32) of their first-serve points and saved both break points they faced to triumph after 77 minutes. Arevalo and Pavic will next play top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden.

Earlier this season, Arevalo and Pavic won the title at the ATP 250 hard-court event in Hong Kong.

Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev also advanced, defeating Daniil Medvedev and Roman Safiullin 7-6(1), 6-2.