Alcaraz Turns Up Tempo To Advance

Change of strategy helps him overcome Cerundolo; struggling Djokovic crashes out

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MONTE CARLO - World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz recovered from going a set down to notch his maiden win at the Monte Carlo Masters, beating Francisco Cerundolo 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 in the second round on April 9.

The 21-year-old Spaniard's adjustment to a more aggressive return position after the first set was key, as he recorded a 44 per cent increase in first-serve returns landed.

"I didn't start well. I made a lot of mistakes and I let him play inside the court, dominating the points," said Alcaraz, who improved to 16-4 in 2025 after the 1hr 37min comeback win.

"I just knew that I had to do something else, play more aggressively and play my own tennis - drop shots, going to the net and more aggression.

"The most important change was the return, I tried to return closer to the line and push him."

This is the first time since the Australian Open in January that Argentinian world No. 22 Cerundolo has not advanced to at least the quarter-finals, having done so at his past five tournaments.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic's ouster was the biggest shock among the other last-32 matches on April 9. The world No. 5 crashed out when he lost his opening second-round match 6-3, 6-4 to Chilean Alejandro Tabilo.