Valentin Vacherot ousted Lorenzo Musetti at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, demonstrating his clay-court game is “ready to roll”. The hometown hero moves on to face Hubert Hurkacz in the third round.
Vacherot’s Victory Over Musetti
It took Valentin Vacherot some time to find a rhythm in his opening round. He battled his way past last year’s runner-up Lorenzo Musetti for a 7-6 (6), 7-5 victory on Court Rainier III. Vacherot had previously come through a deciding set against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
The 27-year-old admitted that “I didn’t deserve to win the tiebreak”. He rose to the occasion to secure his best career clay-court win.
Musetti was looking for his first win since the Australian Open. He was forced to retire up two sets on Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals due to an upper right leg injury. He returned to drop his Indian Wells opener, before withdrawing from the Miami Open with a right arm issue.
First Top 5 Clay Victory
In knocking off Musetti, Vacherot notched his first Top 5 victory since upstaging Novak Djokovic during a magical run to last October’s Shanghai Rolex Masters crown.
“If someone had told me that my first Top 5 win of the season would be here in the night session on this center court I’ve been hitting on since I’m six years, (I’d say) nothing can beat that,” he declared.
Vacherot stated he loves clay. “Now my clay-court game is back and ready to roll.”
Hurkacz Awaits in the Next Round
Vacherot takes on Hubert Hurkacz in third-round action Thursday. Hurkacz eliminated 15th seed Luciano Darderi in the first round. He added a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Fabian Marozsan.
Other Monte Carlo Results
Musetti’s compatriot Flavio Cobolli also exited in his opener. Alexander Blockx upset the No. 10 seed, 6-3, 6-3, saving all five break points he faced. Andrey Rublev was also sent packing, as Zizou Bergs ousted the No. 13 seed with his 6-4, 6- 1 dismissal.
In 2025, Musetti followed up his Monte Carlo performance by reaching the semifinals at Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.