ATP
Stan stunned by Chilean outsider
Former champion Stan Wawrinka let a third-set lead slip as the three-time Grand Slam winner blew a promising match start to lose 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 on Monday to Alejandro Tabilo in the Monte Carlo Masters opening round.
Wawrinka, who turned 40 less than a fortnight ago. won the title in the principality in2014 with an upset of Roger Federer in the final.
But after ripping through the opening set against Canadian-born Chilean Tabilo in just 20 minutes with four unforced errors, problems began to creep into the Swiss veteran’s game as he struggled to compete.
Victory in two and a half hours was only the third of the season for the 32nd-ranked Tabilo, who moved into a second-round contest with two-time tournament winner Novak Djokovic.
Wawrinka led 3-1 in the deciding set against his Latin opponent but lost serve three more times in the tight decider while saving match points in the 10th and 12th games.
Wawrinka was competing here for the 15th time and has not beaten a top-50 player since last October.
The Swiss began the season with four consecutive first-round losses.
“It was a frustrating loss today, but the level is there,” Wawrinka said. “I enjoyed the atmosphere, it was a great fight on the court>
The Swiss said that he will carry on with his career, continuing to work hard.
“For the time being, everything holds up. The preparation we are doing tennistically and physically is allowing me to be the best I can possibly.
“Some days are more difficult than others, but overall, I have no problems in the morning.”
But he added: “Frustration increases with years because you know you are getting close to the end and you will have less opportunities of going further in the tournaments if you lose.
“This loss was one point here, one point there. Maybe feeling a bit too relaxed at certain important moments.
“I should have been more aggressive; I made mistakes at the bad moments sometimes, and that made the difference.”
23 Time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams claims she would have received a 20 year ban if she had failed a drugs test similar to that which ATP World No. 1 Jannik Sinner received just a three month suspension in February 2025.
“I love the guy, love this game,” Williams, told Time magazine after being named one of its 100 most influential people.
“He’s great for the sport. I’ve been put down so much, I don’t want to bring anyone down. Men’s tennis needs him.
“(But) if I did that, I would have gotten 20 years. Let’s be honest. I would have gotten grand slams taken away from me.”
43 year old Williams retired in 2022 and joked that she took extra precautions to avoid any accidental ingestion of an illegal substance, and that a PED scandal would have landed her “in jail.”
“I miss it a lot, with all my heart. I miss it because I’m healthy,” Williams said. “If I couldn’t walk, or if I was so out of it, I wouldn’t miss it as much.”
Sinner’s suspension ends on May 4, having twice tested positive for the banned substance clostebol in March 2024 and is expected to make his return to the tour at the Italian Open, in the ATP 1000 clay-court tournament in Rome beginning on May 5.
The Italian has always maintained his innocence, claiming the drug entered his system through a massage from his trainer.
Stefanos Tsitsipas scratched and clawed his way past Sebastian Korda 7-6 (4), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP Barcelona Open for a fifth straight year on Wednesday.
But the Greek, a four-time finalist at the Real Club, was far from pleased with what he considered a sloppy showing.
“This is not a performance I;d be proud of. The only good thing was my fighting.
“My tennis was really not showing but I was still able to fight and that gave me the win at the end.”
The two-time Grand Slam finalist whose ranking has dropped to 16 after he failed to defend his Monte Carlo title last week, advanced into a last-eight match with Frenchman Arthur Fils, who has won both of their previous encounters.
Tsitsipas advanced with 15 winners and twice as many unforced errors on the Rafael Nadal court in the Catalan capital.
“It was not great in terms of level, II was surprised not to be even close in the return games.
“I did hold serve quite OK. It’s too early to say anything about my clay game. But winning definitely helps [psychologically.
“The more I can fight through matches like this; I need confidence to progress and get better over the next few weeks (leading to Roland Garros in a month).”
Alexander Zverev edged closer to a trophy hat-trick at the home ATP event in Munich on Wednesday , with the top seed crushing compatriot Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-2.
Zverev, who lost in the first round last week in Monte Carlo, claimed Munich titles in 2017 and 2018
The seed ranked third in the world needed less than 90 minutes to advance to the quarter-finals on the Bavarian clay,
Zverev finished off victory in his fourth match point, sending over a drop shot which Altmaier could not control.
Zverev advanced with 14 winners and 22 unforced errors, with Altmaier contributing 24 mistakes.
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