Nothing to do for Lorenzo Sonego. The fairy tale of the Turin native, lucky loser of the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 thanks to the withdrawal of Carlos Alcaraz, ends in the round of 16 in the presence of the grumpy Frenchman Ugo Humbert. Sonego won the first set and glimpsed the possibility of qualifying for the quarter-finals which would have been sensational, but then he broke down, losing badly in the second and especially the third set.
Montecarlo, stadium cheering for Sonego and Humbert: Volandri is there
Match played practically at night, with the last match scheduled on the Court des Princes, not the main court but the second – and one of the most evocative – of the Monegasque tournament. Where the stands are really close to the pitch, packed beyond belief and with a almost Davis Cup support, evenly distributed: many Sonego fanscapable of singing choruses and ovations for their favorite, and there are many fans for the Frenchman, noisy and boisterous in turn. Silent in the stands, among others, Davis’ blue captain, Filippo Volandri.
Sonego starts well, then collapses: comeback victory for the Frenchman
First set lived on the tracks of a substantial balance, broken by surgical break by Sonego in the eleventh game. Then the decisive point and the great hope of being able to channel the match on favorable tracks (7-5). Nothing to do, however. Humbert reacted like a champion, while the Italian started to make a few too many mistakes. To forget the end of the second set, literally handed over to the Frenchman (3-6). Then the third set was terrible, almost not played, with Humbert finishing the score with an easy 1-6.
Quarter-finals: Sinner against Rune, Italy-Argentina in doubles
With the elimination of Sonego, which followed that of Lorenzo Musetti a few hours earlier in the presence of the revived Novak Djokovic, There is only one Italian left in Monte Carlo: Jannik Sinner. For the red from San Candido the quarterfinal match against Rune in the rematch of last year’s semi-final (starts no earlier than 1pm). To tell the truth, there would be two more Italians, but in doubles: for Bolelli and Vavassori quarter-finals at 11am against two bad customers, the Argentinians Gonzalez and Molteni.
