Stan Wawrinka on Monday bid farewell to the Monte Carlo Masters as the 2014 champion fell 7-5, 7-5 to Sebastian Baez in the first round.
The 41-year-old three-time Grand Slam winner is to retire from tennis at the end of the season and entered the main draw in Monaco as a wild card 20 years on from his debut at the tournament.
The Swiss won his sole ATP 1000 title 12 years ago in the principality when he defeated his compatriot Roger Federer.
Photo: Reuters
“It was a long time ago, but of course I remember it, it was exceptional,” Wawrinka said of his 2014 victory after tournament organizers showed a video homage to him. “To have the chance to play this final here, with this exceptional tournament, and to win it in addition, will always be one of my best memories of my career.”
Heading into his meeting with 65th-ranked Argentine Baez, Wawrinka’s only match since losing to eventual winner Daniil Medvedev in the last 16 at February’s Dubai Open was a three-set defeat to then-world No. 348 Matteo Martineau at a challenger event on clay in Naples, Italy, late last month.
Despite that, Wawrinka raced out of the blocks on Court Rainier III as he took a 4-1 lead in the opening set.
Baez hit back to level scores at 5-5 before pouncing on Wawrinka’s serve in the 11th game to get ahead.
Wawrinka then lost his opening service game of the second set as Baez took control of the match, eventually closing out the victory in 1 hour, 47 minutes after weathering a stirring late comeback by the former world No. 3.
As reward for his win, Baez next faces world No. 1 and reigning Monte Carlo champion Carlos Alcaraz in the second round.
Elsewhere, three-time former Monte Carlo winner Stefanos Tsitsipas lost in straight sets to Francisco Cerundolo, the 16th seed.
Tsitsipas has not beaten a top-20 player on clay since August 2024.
Andrey Rublev, the 2023 champion, navigated his way through a topsy-turvy opener as the 13th seed beat Nuno Borges 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 to set up a meeting with Zizou Bergs.
World No. 47 Bergs booked his spot thanks to a 6-4, 6-3 victory over 37-year-old Adrian Mannarino.
Arthur Rinderknech eased past 12th seed Karen Khachanov 7-5, 6-2 and is next to play Joao Fonseca after the Brazilian teenager eased past Gabriel Diallo in two sets.
Czech 11th seed Jiri Lehecka needed three sets to see off US qualifier Emilio Nava.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to “beat” a world record on Sunday at the Enhanced Games, winning the men’s 50m freestyle at the divisive competition where athletes were free to take performance-enhancing substances. His time of 20.81 seconds — which is not considered official — came in the final event of the night in Las Vegas, sparing the blushes of organizers who made claims that multiple world records would be surpassed due to a sophisticated doping regime. Gkolomeev, who was wearing a synthetic “supersuit” long banned at events such as the Olympics, outpaced Australia’s Cameron McEvoy’s 20.88 set in
VICTORY ABROAD: The team took home a fistful of medals and secured spots for the autumn’s Asian Games, scheduled for September in Nagoya Taiwan’s women’s team captured the overall title at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Mongolia on Sunday, finishing with two golds, one silver and one bronze medal. The strong showing, led by gold medalists Wang Chieh-ling and Chang Jui-en secured the full quota of available spots for Taiwan at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in September. Wang opened Taiwan’s medal run by winning gold in the women’s under-46kg class on Thursday, the first day of competition. Liu Yu-yun later earned a silver in the under-49kg class. On the final day on Sunday, Chang won Taiwan’s second gold medal in the under-62kg event, and
The manager of the Yomiuri Giants, one of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, resigned yesterday after he was arrested for allegedly physically attacking his teenage daughter. Shinnosuke Abe allegedly grabbed the 18-year-old and forced her to the floor at their home in central Tokyo on Monday evening, reported national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News, citing unnamed police sources. “Leaving like this really means I’m causing you a lot of trouble, and I feel truly sorry about that,” Abe told a hastily arranged news conference, his eyes red with tears. The former star catcher, who is among baseball-obsessed Japan’s most recognized sports figures,
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
RSS