Sinner Advances, Musetti Sets Djokovic Clash In Monte-Carlo

Jannik Sinner advanced to the third round at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday when Diego Schwartzman was forced to retire with a shoulder injury.

The Italian, who reached the quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo last year, produced a ruthless performance in his first clay-court appearance of the season. He overpowered the Argentine with his flat groundstrokes and committed just six unforced errors before Schwartzman was forced to retire with Sinner leading 6-0, 3-1 after 38 minutes.

"I could tell from the beggining he was struggling a lot," Sinner said. "On the left side with the pain. I wish him the best and hopefully it is nothing serious."

Sinner is competing at the Principality at a career-high No. 8 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after advancing to his second ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami earlier this month. The 21-year-old will next face 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz.

"I haven't had loads of time to prepare, but I am happy to play here and play in front of Italian fans," Sinner said. "Just enjoying every moment and trying my best and having a great attitude every time I step onto the court. I feel not so bad on clay."

Schwartzman and Sinner were teaming as doubles partners this week. After winning their opening match, the Argentine-Italian pair lost in the second round against Fabrice Martin and Andreas Mies.

Lorenzo Musetti joined his countryman Sinner in the third round in comprehensive fashion by defeating qualifier Luca Nardi 6-0, 6-0.

Musetti converted six of seven break points he earned in his first tour-level meeting against 19-year-old Nardi. The 16th-seeded Musetti, who defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime en route to the third round in Monte-Carlo last year, next faces two-time champion and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

The 21-year-old Musetti will be seeking his first tour-level win in four attempts against Djokovic. The pair’s only previous meeting on clay was at Roland Garros in 2021, when Djokovic rallied from two sets to love down before Musetti was forced to retire in the deciding set.

Nicolas Jarry will also face a two-time Monte-Carlo champion in the third round. The Chilean defeated Alexei Popyrin 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 on Wednesday to set a meeting with 2021 and 2022 winner Stefanos Tsitsipas.