Djokovic eliminated at Monte Carlo Masters, misses another chance for 100th career title

The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 5:16 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Novak Djokovic's latest bid to triumph a 100th vocation rubric ended Wednesday successful different daze decision to a acquainted face.

Alejandro Tabilo of Chile, who handed the 24-time Grand Slam champion a astonishing nonaccomplishment astatine the Italian Open past year, bushed Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 successful the 2nd circular of the Monte Carlo Masters successful Monaco.

Back connected clay, Djokovic said afterward helium didn't person precocious expectations.

"I knew I'm going to person a pugnacious hostile and I knew I'm going to astir apt play beauteous bad," Djokovic, from Serbia, said. "But this bad, I didn't expect."

Djokovic, who precocious mislaid the Miami Open last to Jakub Mensik, turns 38 adjacent period -- soon earlier the French Open starts connected May 25.

Defending French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz earlier started his clay-court play by rallying to a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 triumph implicit Francisco Cerundolo successful the 2nd round.

The second-seeded Alcaraz was coming disconnected a astonishing nonaccomplishment to Belgian seasoned David Goffin successful his archetypal lucifer astatine the Miami Open.

Another upset seemed imaginable erstwhile Cerundolo, ranked No. 22, took the archetypal acceptable but Alcaraz dominated the remainder of the lucifer and converted 5 of his 7 interruption points crossed the 2nd and 3rd sets.

Win clinched connected 2nd lucifer point

Alcaraz is seeking a 2nd rubric of 2025 and to finetune his clay-court crippled up of a bid to clasp his rubric astatine Roland Garros starting adjacent month.

Tabilo clinched triumph connected his 2nd lucifer constituent erstwhile Djokovic returned his beardown service long.

Djokovic had saved 1 lucifer constituent successful the ninth crippled erstwhile helium was trailing 5-3 and 30-40 connected his serve, clipping a neat driblet changeable implicit the nett which his Chilean hostile could not reach.

Djokovic past held for 5-4.

Other results Wednesday:

• Lorenzo Musetti, the 13th seed, bushed Jiri Lehecka 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 to acceptable up a last-16 lucifer against chap Italian Matteo Berrettini, who bushed top-seeded Alexander Zverev connected Tuesday.
• Daniil Medvedev overcame Alexandre Muller 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-2, and fourth-seeded Casper Ruud bushed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-1.
• Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils, a brace of 38-year-old Frenchman, were eliminated by Daniel Altmaier and seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev, respectively.

The Monte Carlo Masters is the archetypal large clay-court tourney of the twelvemonth connected the ATP Tour.