Auger-Aliassime avoids Round 2 match in Monaco against Alcaraz, who has forearm injury
Will face 'lucky loser' Lorenzo Sonego on Wednesday; Djokovic eases into 3rd round
Two-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters tournament on Tuesday because of a muscle injury to his right forearm.
The Wimbledon champion had been doing low-key training with strapping to his arm and announced that he is unable to play.
"I have been working in Monte Carlo and trying to recover until the last minute from an injured pronator teres in my right arm, but it was not possible, and I cannot play," Alcaraz wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"I was really looking forward to playing. … See you next year."
The 20-year-old Spaniard was scheduled to play Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal in the second round in only his second appearance at the tournament, after also pulling out last year with injury. Auger-Aliassime instead faces lucky loser Lorenzo Sonego of Italy.
On Monday, the Canadian needed only 82 minutes to beat Luca Nardi of Italy 6-2, 6-3 in the first round.
Nardi, ranked 76th, committed four double faults, twice as many as Auger-Aliassime, and failed to convert any break points against the Canadian. Auger-Aliassime, who is ranked 35th in the world, capitalized on three of seven break opportunities.
WATCH | Auger-Aliassime posts 1st-round victory in Monaco:
He also recorded 22 winners and only nine unforced errors on his way to the second round.
Alcaraz reached the French Open semifinals last year, losing to Novak Djokovic, before beating him in the Wimbledon final.
After winning six titles last year, Alcaraz's only trophy so far this year was when he defended his title at Indian Wells, again beating former U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Djokovic converts only 5 of 19 break points
Novak Djokovic made light work of his return to clay and did not face a break point in beating Roman Safiullin 6-1, 6-2 to reach the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday.
Serving for the match, Djokovic won on his second match point when Safiullin's return sank into the net. Overall, Djokovic could perhaps have been a little more clinical, since he forced 19 break points and converted just five of them.
It was the top-ranked Serb's first clay-court tournament since winning the French Open last year to clinch a men's-record 23rd major title. He added the U.S. Open to extend that total to 24 but lost in the semifinals at the Australian Open this year to eventual winner Jannik Sinner, and he is looking for his first title of 2024.
Djokovic recently split with coach Goran Ivanisevic, ending their association that began in 2018, and included half of those major titles.
In cloudy conditions at the Monte Carlo Country Club, Djokovic secured two service breaks to lead 4-0 in quick time, before Safiullin finally held serve.
Djokovic's drop shot looked in good order and he clinched the first set in 33 minutes when Safiullin, on his second serve at 0-40, hit a return into the net.
Djokovic next plays either Frenchman Arthur Fils or Lorenzo Musetti of Italy.
Djokovic is looking to win Monte Carlo for the third time but first since 2015. He hasn't made it past the quarterfinals since then and could face defending champion Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.
In other matches Tuesday:
- Fifth-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany joined Djokovic in the third round when he beat Sebastian Ofner of Austria 6-3, 6-4. The 2022 French Open semifinalist will face either two-time Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, seeded 12th, or Tomas Martin Etcheverry. They play Wednesday.
- No. 11 Alex de Minaur eased past 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 6-0, breaking the three-time Grand Slam champion's serve six times, while 10th-seeded Hubert Hurkacz battled past Britain's Jack Draper 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2).
- Sebastian Korda advanced to the second round and will play second-ranked Jannik Sinner on Wednesday. Sinner is 22-1 with three titles in 2024, including recently at the Miami Open.
With files from The Canadian Press
