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Second-round matches will conclude on Day 4 of the Monte-Carlo Masters 2025 on Wednesday, April 9. The exits of 11th seed Ben Shelton and 16th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime were among the notable upsets in the first round. Ninth seed Daniil Medvedev almost joined the duo but managed to fend off a spirited challenge from Karen Khachanov for a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 win.
However, the biggest upset of the tournament happened on Tuesday as the second round got underway. Top seed Alexander Zverev went down to former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini. The latter staged an impressive comeback to resigter a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 win.
The loss was the latest in a series of disappointing exits for Zverev, who hasn't been the same since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final at the start of the season.
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The rest of the players will now aim to join Berrettini and the others in the third round. On that note, here are the predictions for a few singles matches set for Day 4 of the Monte-Carlo Masters 2025:
#1. Grigor Dimitrov vs Valentin Vacherot
Dimitrov commenced his campaign at the Monte-Carlo Masters with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Nicolas Jarry. It marked his first win on the red dirt this season and he improved his overall record to 10-6 this year.
Vacherot, meanwhile, scored an easy 6-2, 6-1 win over Jan-Lennard Struff in his opener here. He started his clay swing at the Tiriac Open in Bucharest last week and lost to Damir Dzumhur in the first round.
Dimitrov and Vacherot crossed paths a year ago in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters as well. The former beat the latter in straight sets to win their first career meeting.
Dimitrov is a two-time semifinalist at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the tournament is his joint-best with Paris Masters in terms of match wins at the Masters 1000 level, with 24 wins at each venue. The Bulgarian is also fresh off a semifinal finish at the Miami Open. Given his current form, he will be favored to win this re-match against Vacherot.
Predicted winner: Grigor Dimitrov
#2. Richard Gasquet vs Daniel Altmaier
Gasquet is in the middle of a farewell tour, which will culminate with a final appearance at his home Slam, the French Open. He began his time on clay with a second-round showing in Bucharest a week ago. He took on Matteo Arnaldi in the first round here and dug deep to score a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
Altmaier commenced his clay swing with a first-round exit from last week's Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech. He came through the qualifying rounds in Monte Carlo with wins over Jaume Munar and Pierre-Hughes Herbert. He was up against Auger-Aliassime in the first round and beat him 7-6(5), 6-3. It marked his first win against a top-20 player on clay in nearly two years.
Gasquet and Altmaier have met three times prior to this, and all of their matches have been on clay as well. The Frenchman won their first couple of matches in 2021, while the German had the last laugh in their most recent encounter at the Hamburg Open 2023.
Gasquet has only three main-draw wins to his name this season, while Altmaier has a 7-8 record. The Frenchman hasn't been at his best for nearly two years now. However, with retirement on the horizon, he will be keen to go out with a bang. He has shown flashes of brilliance despite his poor results. One final push could help him outfox his familar rival once again.
Predicted winner: Richard Gasquet
#3. Nuno Borges vs Pedro Martinez
Borges was a quarterfinalist in Marrakech last week, his first tournament of the clay swing. He took on 10th seed Holger Rune in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters. He was cruising along smoothly when the Dane opted to throw in the towel due to an injury with the score at 6-2, 3-0, thus sending him into the second round.
Martinez's time in Bucharest last week came to an unceremonious end as an injury forced him to abandon his campaign halfway through his quarterfinal match. He overcame a second-set stumble to beat Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in the opening round of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Their previous and only meeting was a close affair. Borges edged out Martinez in the third-set tie-break at last year's Italian Open to win the match 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-6 (8). He even saved a couple of match points over the course of his thrilling win.
Both players are seeking to advance to the third round here for the first time. Given their previous duel was also on clay and it went down to the wire, the two could fight it out until the bitter end once again. While Martinez loves playing on clay, Borges' consistent results this year give him the edge in this match-up.
Predicted winner: Nuno Borges
