A small turn and then goes away. The French N.1 Richard Gasquet (43rd in the world) was beaten by Dominic Thiem (106th) who won 6-1, 6-4 on Monday at the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo. It is therefore the Austrian, ex-N.3 at the ATP but beneficiary of an invitation for the Monegasque tournament, who will face the Danish Holger Rune (8th) for a place in the round of 16.
The showdown lasted two games: 23 minutes after the start of the game, Thiem converted his eighth break point to lead 2-0 and break Gasquet’s defense. Led 5-0, the French scored a game before conceding the first set on an ace. In the second set, Thiem broke to lead 2-1 and was never threatened again.
And three for Thiem
Double finalist at Roland-Garros (2018, 2019) and winner of the US Open 2020, the Austrian player thus signs his third victory of the season. He is trying to return to his best level after ten months of absence (between 2021 and 2022) to treat a wrist injury.
In the tricolor ranks, Benjamin Bonzi (48th) qualified for the second round on Monday by dismissing the Spaniard Bernabe Zapata (41st) 6-1, 7-5. He will face for a place in the round of 16 the double title holder Stefanos Tsitsipas (3rd). The third and last Frenchman in the main draw, Ugo Humbert (79th), will play this Tuesday against the Italian Lorenzo Sonego (45th) after pulling out of qualifying.