By Alberto Amalfi | Monday, April 11, 2016
Richard Gasquet swept Nicolas Almagro, 6-4, 6-0 and Gael Monfils dropped a 7-5, 6-0 defeat on Gilles Muller in Monte Carlo.
Photo credit: Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
There's no place like home away from home.
French Davis Cup teammates Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils both dropped bagel sets on experienced opposition flying through their Monte Carlo Rolex Masters openers today.
Watch: Federer Ready to Test Knee, Game in Monte Carlo
In a battle of brilliant one-handed backhands, Gasquet created sharper angles sweeping Nicolas Almagro, 6-4, 6-0, in 68 minutes.
The ninth-seeded Frenchman had a field day on Almagro's second serve: Gasquet won 20 of 25 points played on the Spaniard's second delivery.
Gasquet will face compatriot Lucas Pouille in the second round.
In an all-French first-rounder, wild card Pouille beat Nicolas Mahut, 7-6 (1), 6-3.
No. 16-seeded Benoit Paire pulled out a thriller, saving a match point to edge out a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) victory over Spain's Inigo Cervantes. Paire pounded six of his nine aces in the final set.
The 13th-seeded Monfils continued his strong recent run, dispatching Gilles Muller, 7-5, 6-0, in 61 minutes.
Fresh off successive hard-court quarterfinals in Indian Wells and Miami, Monfils will meet the winner of the all-Italian clash between Fabio Fognini and Paolo Lorenzi next. The winner of that encounter could face world No. 1 Novak Djokovic if the seeds hold true to form.
Indian Wells runner-up Milos Raonic made a successful transition to dirt. The 10th-seeded Canadian dispatched Italian wild card Marco Cechinnato 6-3, 7-5.
Alexander Zverev was a 6-1, 6-3 victor over wild card Andrey Rublev. Zverev takes on seventh-seeded David Ferrer next.
No. 12-seeded Dominic Thiem rallied for a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff.
Grigor Dimitrov set up a second-round date with 15th-seeded Gilles Simon. Dimitrov defeated qualifier Filip Krajinovic, 6-3, 6-2.
Dimitrov beat Simon for the first time in five meetings in Brisbane last January.