Monte Carlo Masters 1,000, day 1: Sebastián Báez’s nightmare on his debut and Carlos Alcaraz’s alarming bandage

The main frame of the Monte Carlo Masters 1,000 It’s a chimera for Sebastiano Baez. The native of Buenos Aires had all it took to celebrate the first career victory on the clay of the principality, but when he served 5-3 in the second set he collapsed and his dream turned into a nightmare: the German Jan-Lennard Struff he recovered by beating him 1-6, 7-6 (3) and 6-2.

Thus begins the clay court tour before Roland Garros for the best Argentine in the ATP ranking (19th), who wants to take a step forward in European tournaments on that surface, after having been one of the best in the championships played in South America.

The start of the match for Báez did not portend the end. Because with solidity, realizing every break opportunity that he had in his favor, he managed the pace of the match until winning the first set with a resounding 6-1.

Even though it wasn’t his favorite surface, Struff (26th) fought back. At least I try. This is why the second set was much more balanced, even if the Argentine was able to control the power of the German’s forehand, leaving him 5-2 ahead and with the possibility of serving to close the match.

But Struff began to mentally dominate the match, drilling from the baseline until reaching the tiebreaker, where he won 7-3 to level the scores.

The third and final set was resolved when the European broke the Argentine’s serve in the sixth game (4-2). Báez – who saved 20 break points from his rival – was unable to return to the match and missed an unbeatable opportunity to add his first victory in the main draw in Monte Carlo.

Báez will continue his European clay court tour at the ATP 500 in Barcelona.

The other Argentines in Monte Carlo

It wasn’t all bad this Sunday for the so-called ‘Argentine Legion’. Because almost simultaneously, the Rosary Federico Coria He beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the last qualifying round and entered the main draw of the Principality of Monaco. His rival will be the Frenchman Ugo Humbert.

He suffered more Facundo Diaz Acostabecause he lost in three sets (7-5, 2-6 and 6-2) against the Indian Sumit Nagal, but he presented himself as a lucky loser, meeting the Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, a very difficult rival.

So are the other Argentinians in the main draw Francisco Cerúndolowho was waiting for a rival to emerge from the qualy, and Tomas Etcheverrywho will face the Chilean Nicholas Jarry.

Alcaraz and a bandage that caused concern

The other image of Sunday in Monte Carlo was that of the training fields. There we saw the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who reappears in this tournament after losing the number 2 in the ATP ranking to Jannick Sinner. But alarms were raised when he failed to finish his practice, in which he revealed a strange dressing on his right arm.

Although in a video published on social media of the tournament itself he was seen hitting the ball with apparent normality, that decision has sown uncertainty over the status of the Murcian, who as one of the eight seeds will only make his debut between Tuesday and Wednesday.

“I rested a bit after Miami and have already started training on the ground. I am a player who adapts very well to the surface, it doesn’t take me long to play at the highest level on a surface. The training on the ground has been very good,” he said at a press conference on Saturday.

Victory between the Canadian is expected for his debut Felix Auger-Aliassime or a player from the previous phase.