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MONACO -- Novak Djokovic will get the chance to avenge one of the more surprising losses of his career. The 24-time Grand Slam champion will face 32nd-ranked Alejandro Tabilo in his opening match of the Monte Carlo Masters. Tabilo rallied past 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the first round Monday to set up the second-round rematch with Djokovic, whom he beat at the Italian Open last year. Djokovic, who had a first-round bye in Monte Carlo, won only five games against Tabilo in Rome. It will be Djokovic's first match since losing the Miami Open final to Jakub Mensik. Later Monday, Daniil Medvedev, off to a slow 2025 start in which he has fallen out of the top 10, secured a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 win over fellow Russian Karen Khachanov. Both players had ample chances to win points on the other's serve, but neither took full advantage. Medvedev, the No. 9 seed, converted nine of 20 break chances, while Khachanov cashed in on eight of 16. Medvedev could have closed out the match early, up a set and 4-1 in the second, but Khachanov reeled off five straight games to snatch the set and tie the match. But it was the service breaks that ultimately derailed Khachanov. Serving down 5-4 in the final set, Khachanov lost serve, handing Medvedev the match. Medvedev, whose service was broken three times in the third set, pulled off four service breaks in the same stanza of the 2-hour, 51-minute match. He also had to fight through cramps and limped off the court at the end of the match. The Russian next faces Alexandre Muller, who defeated qualifier Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina 6-4, 6-4. Also on Monday, Ben Shelton, the No. 11 seed, was knocked out by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-1. The Spaniard hasn't won a title since 2022 but reached finals in Delray Beach and Acapulco this season. Also moving to the second round was Italy's Matteo Berrettini, who defeated Mariano Navone of Argentina 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour, 48 minutes. His next opponent will be top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany. In their most recent meeting, on the grass courts in Wimbledon in 2023, Berrettini came out on top. Another Italian, No. 13 seed Lorenzo Musetti, defeated China's Yunchaokete Bu 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to set up a second-round match with Czech Jiri Lehecka, who took out Sebastian Korda 6-3, 7-6 (7). Meanwhile, Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, the No. 16 seed, fell to qualifier Daniel Altmaier of Germany, who posted a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win, and Marcos Giron topped Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6 (5). The Monte Carlo Masters is first big clay-court tournament of the year. Information from the Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.
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