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Day 3 of the Monte-Carlo Masters 2025 will mark the end of the first round along with the start of the second round on Tuesday, April 8. There have been a few upsets over the first couple of days. 16th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was sent packing by Daniel Altmaier, while Denis Shapovalov was knocked out by Marcos Giron.
Stan Wawrinka started his first-round match against Alejandro Tabilo on a promising note but couldn't sustain the momentum. The three-time Major champion eventually lost the match 1-6, 7-5, 7-5, thus dashing hopes of a second-round showdown with Novak Djokovic.
Richard Gasquet, who's on a farewell tour at the moment, entered the second round with a three-set win over Matteo Arnaldi. Gael Monfils, Matteo Berrettini and Lorenzo Musetti were some of the other prominent names to win their first-round matches. As more players aim to join them in the second round, here are the predictions for some of the first-round matches set for Day 3 of the Monte-Carlo Masters 2025:
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#1. Arthur Fils vs Tallon Griekspoor
The Monte-Carlo Masters will be Fils' first tournament on clay this year. He's in pretty good form at the moment, having made the quarterfinals of the last two Masters 1000 tournaments in Miami and Indian Wells. Griekspoor already got a headstart on his clay swing and was the runner-up in Marrakech last week. He also made the last eight at Indian Wells prior to that.
This will be the third meeting between Fils and Griekspoor. Both of their previous matches took place at the Majors. The former needed five sets to win at the US Open 2023, while the latter came out on top at the Australian Open 2024 in four sets.
Fils had a 10-10 record on clay last year and won the Hamburg Open, while Griekspoor had an 8-8 record last year. The latter has momentum on his side but with a 1-7 record against top 20 players on clay, he will be the underdog in this match-up.
Predicted winner: Arthur Fils
#2. Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs Corentin Moutet
Etcheverry has already contested a few tournaments this season and has a 3-4 record. He didn't win a match at last week's U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships and at the Argentina Open as well. He made the second round of the Rio Open and the quarterfinals of the Chile Open.
Moutet came through the qualifying rounds of the Monte-Carlo Masters with comeback wins over Gabriel Diallo and David Goffin. This will be his second main-draw appearance at the tournament and he will be gunning to register his first win at the venue.
Etcheverry has arrived at the Monte-Carlo Masters on a four-match losing streak. He has a 1-1 record here and lost in the second round on his debut a year ago. While he won his previous and only encounter against Moutet at the Rio Open a couple of months ago, he could find it tough to repeat the feat given his current form.
Predicted winner: Corentin Moutet
#3. Alexei Popyrin vs Ugo Humbert
With a 2-7 record for the season, Popyrin has struggled mightily. His best result this year has been a third-round showing at the BNP Paribas Open. Humbert has a 11-5 record this year, with a title in Marseille and a fourth-round showing at the Australian Open being the highlights of his season.
The Monte-Carlo Masters will be the first clay tournament for both of them this year. They have crossed paths twice prior to this. Popyrin won their very first encounter at the French Open 2019 in four sets, while Humbert had the last laugh at last year's Davis Cup.
Humbert failed to win a match at the Monte-Carlo Masters in his first three appearances and then made it all the way to the quarterfinals last year. Popyrin has also steadily improved his results over the years and bowed out in the third round last year.
Given their results this season, Humbert will be the overwhelming favorite to win this match. Popyrin has the potential to put up a fight but only if he reverts to the form that helped him win his first Masters 1000 title at last year's Canadian Open.
Predicted winner: Ugo Humbert
#4. Flavio Cobolli vs Dusan Lajovic
Cobolli commenced his clay swing in Bucharest at last week's Tiriac Open. He arrived at the tournament on an eight-match losing streak. However, he went on to win the title in a remarkable turnaround, the first of his career as well.
Lajovic also competed in Bucharest but lost in the first round. He booked his spot in the main draw of the Monte-Carlo Masters with wins over Alexander Bublik and Laslo Djere in the qualifiers.
Lajovic won his previous and only meeting against Cobolli at last year's Croatia Open, a clay court tournament. He edged past his younger rival in two tie-breaks. The Serb has tallied some of his best results on clay and reached his only Masters 1000 final at the Monte-Carlo Masters 2019.
However, Lajovic is far from his best these days. Furthermore, Cobolli will be feeling quite confident after winning his maiden career title. Having recently snapped his eight-match losing skid, he won't be keen on tasting defeat again so soon.
Predicted winner: Flavio Cobolli
