STEFANOS TSITSIPAS THROUGH THE SECOND ROUND IN MONTE CARLO AFTER LASLO DJERE RETIRES ‘I DIDN’T EXPECT SUCH A FINISH’
Two-time Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas has moved to the second round of the Masters 1000 competition after overcoming Laslo Djere.
Djere quit from the match midway through the second set owing to right arm soreness after a break down against world No. 12. Tsitsipas claimed he is looking to use “fun play” as a technique in this year’s competition.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas gets through to the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters when his opponent, Laslo Djere, withdrew from their match due to injury.
Tsitsipas was ahead 6-3 with a break of serve when Djere opted to pull out of the contest owing to right arm soreness.
World No. 12 Tsitsipas will play either Chile’s Nicolas Jarry or Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry next.
“I didn’t expect such a finish,” Tsitsipas said afterwards.
“This is not something that is very usual when I play, but I did my job well. Obviously, I wish him a rapid recovery since injuries are not enjoyable to have while you’re on the tour. “I accomplished my job relatively well.
I started well; I played the first set quite well with very good consistency and generated a nice pace on the ball.
“I was satisfied with how I started. I think things are looking excellent, and I’m hoping to keep going the same way.
“I really appreciated achieving more consistency on my serve towards the end, and I hope I can maintain mixing it up with enjoyable play.”
Tsitsipas, who won the Monte Carlo Masters in 2021 and 2022, is seeking to return to the top ten of men’s tennis, and he got his 2024 clay campaign off to a solid start with a nice win against Djere.
Tsitsipas broke the Djere serve in the fourth game of the opening set to move 3-1 up before rattling off the next two games to build a dominating 5-1 lead.
Djere broke back, but Tsitsipas was able to finish out the set in his next service game, converting his third set point to seal up the opener in 35 minutes.
The Serbs opened the second set brightly but missed two break-point opportunities at 2-1. Djere then went on a breakdown in the next game before unexpectedly opting to retire from the match after one hour and five minutes.
