Novak Djokovic's pursuit of a 100th career ATP title hit another snag at the Monte Carlo Masters, where the 24-time Grand Slam champion was handed a straight-sets defeat by Alejandro Tabilo.
The Chilean, ranked 32nd, continued his successful run against Djokovic with a 6-3, 6-4 victory, a result that mirrors his win over the Serbian in Rome last year.
Djokovic, returning to clay for the first time since his Olympic gold medal triumph in Paris last year, struggled from the start.
His wayward returns and lack of rhythm led to costly errors, especially as Tabilo capitalized on two breaks in the first set.
Despite a brief resurgence, Djokovic could not find his footing and suffered another early exit after losing last month's Miami Masters final to teenager Jakub Mensik.
"I expected myself at least to have put in a decent performance. Not like this. It was horrible," Djokovic said in an honest post-match interview. "I knew I was going to have a tough opponent, and I knew I might play badly, but not this badly. It's a horrible feeling."
Tabilo, in contrast, was sharp throughout, using his strong serve and solid groundstrokes to control the match.
His second-round win earned him a spot in the last 16, where he'll face 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov, who also triumphed in straight sets after a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over wildcard Valentin Vacherot.
Meanwhile, world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz bounced back from a first-set loss to Francisco Cerundolo, dominating the next two sets 6-0, 6-1 for a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 win. After a surprising loss to David Goffin at the Miami Open, the French Open champion demonstrated his clay-court prowess, rallying with aggressive play and showcasing his ability to adapt under pressure.
"I didn’t start well. I made a lot of mistakes and let him play inside the court," Alcaraz reflected. "I knew I had to play more aggressively and stick to my game – drop shots, going to the net, and returning closer to the baseline.
That’s how I turned things around."
In other action, fourth-seeded Casper Ruud cruised past Roberto Bautista Agut with a comfortable 6-2, 6-1 victory, while seventh seed Andrey Rublev, the 2023 tournament winner, won his opening match against Gael Monfils in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6.
Rublev's victory came under the guidance of his new coach, former tennis star Marat Safin.
Meanwhile, in a match that lasted nearly three hours, Daniil Medvedev overcame Alexandre Muller 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-2 to progress.
The Russian's win adds to the intrigue around this year's clay-court season as the big names jockey for position before the French Open begins in late May.
