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Dominic Thiem announced on social media Saturday that he mutually decided with coach Nicolas Massu to end their player-coach relationship.

“What an incredible journey... It all started in early 2019 - you came along with your incredible energy and extreme love for the sport,” Thiem wrote on Instagram. “That's how we won the US Open and Indian Wells. But we also reached the finals of the Australian Open, the French Open, and twice at the Nitto ATP Finals. I think that shows we're an incredible team.

“But unfortunately, everything has an end and this end came now.We have decided together that we will go different ways starting next week.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this incredible and beautiful time Nico. I wish you only the best and our friendship will last forever.”

Top seed Frances Tiafoe began his clay-court season and Houston title campaign in convincing fashion Saturday. The American looks to complete double duty tonight, when he returns to court for the quarter-finals at the Fayez Sarofim & Co U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship.

The World No. 15 earned a 6-2, 6-4 second-round win against countryman Steve Johnson, who is a two-time Houston champion (2017, 2018). Tiafoe collected 26 of 31 points off his first delivery and didn’t face a break point en route to his maiden win against Johnson (1-2 ATP Head2Head).

“I played a lot better than I thought [I would],” Tiafoe said. “Honestly it kind of helped me in the end to have some days off… It gave me some time to practise on the clay a little bit.”

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After rain cancelled much of play the past three days at the ATP 250, second-round winners will be back in action tonight for the quarter-finals. Tiafoe will meet Australian Jason Kubler, who defeated Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4, 6-2, after suitable rest.

Casper Ruud survived a stern test from Quentin Halys to advance to his first final of 2023 at the Millennium Estoril Open. The Norwegian progressed to his 16th tour-level final with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2) victory on Saturday at the ATP 250.

The top-seeded Ruud will play for his 10th tour-level title against Miomir Kecmanovic in Sunday's final. It will be the pair's third ATP Head2Head meeting but first since 2019, with Ruud seeking his first win in the matchup.

Watch Sunday's final at 4:30pm CET

Ruud survived 16 aces from the Frenchman Halys, who beat Dominic Thiem in the Estoril quarter-finals and had not lost a set prior to Saturday's match. After each of the first two sets were decided by a single, early break, there were no break chances on offer in the deciding set, with each man battling through deuce once on serve. Ruud took an off-court medical timeout late in the second set as his first-serve percentage dipped, but he showed no signs of wear in the final set.

After clipping the edge of the line with a forehand winner on the first point of the decisive tie-break, Ruud opened up a 3/0 lead and never looked back, wrapping up the win in two hours, 10 minutes. Through to his 12th clay-court tour-level final, and his first title match of any kind since the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals, Ruud passed Daniil Medvedev and returned to No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with his semi-final win. 

Refreshed and raring to go, two-time champion Stefanos Tsitsipas is excited to chase a third consecutive Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title this week in the Principality.

The Greek defeated Andrey Rublev in the 2021 final to win his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown, before he overcame Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in last year’s championship match to reign at the clay-court event again.

“It is a pleasure to return to the clay-court swing,” Tsitsipas said in his pre-tournament press conference on Saturday. “It is one of the most fascinating parts of the year, starting the clay-court swing in Monte-Carlo, which is my favourite place in the world.

“I am looking to make it three [titles]. But I won’t take too much time thinking of it. I am feeling refreshed that we are able to start playing on clay again.”

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Novak Djokovic returns to the ATP Tour this week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he is chasing a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 crown.

However, before taking to court at the clay-court event, the World No. 1 joined Italian Jannik Sinner on Saturday at Larvotto Beach, where the pair shared jokes and competed in a mini-match in front of fans.

Djokovic and Sinner hit trick shots, posed for photos and chatted with each other as they delighted the supporters in Monte-Carlo ahead of the third ATP Masters 1000 of the season.

The singles stars, who are seeded to meet in the quarter-finals, arrived in the Principality earlier this week and have hit at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.

Djokovic is a two-time champion in Monaco, triumphing in 2013 and 2015. The Serbian last competed at the start of March, when he lost against Daniil Medvedev in the Dubai semi-finals. The seventh seed Sinner, who is making his third appearance in Monte-Carlo, reached his second ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami earlier this month.

For the third time this week at the Grand Prix Hassan II, Roberto Carballes Baena has knocked off a seeded opponent in Marrakech. On Saturday, the Spaniard came from behind to upset second seed Daniel Evans 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and advance to his second tour-level final.

The 30-year-old, who won his only previous title match in Quito in 2018, picked up his first win against a Top 35 opponent this season in what was his first tour-level semi-final since he reached the last four in Bastad in 2021.

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Carballes Baena used a five-game flurry to turn the match around from 3-4 in the second set. He had not broken serve since the opening game of the match, but he did so in consecutive return games to win the second set and take a 2-0 lead in the decider. 

As his relentless baseline game continued to reap rewards, the Spaniard's third break of the match gave him a 4-1 lead, and he consolidated his advantage by saving a break point in the ensuing service game.

Chasing their first title of the season at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski could have to overcome a series of ATP Tour singles stars in the Principality.

The top seeds, who won three ATP Masters 1000 trophies last year, could face Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov in their opening match, with Jannik Sinner and Diego Schwartzman potential quarter-final opponents. Rublev and Khachanov start against Jamie Murray and Michael Venus, while Sinner and Schwartzman take on eighth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

View Doubles Draw

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Fourth seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic are seeded to meet Koolhof and Skupski in the semi-finals. The Croatians lifted the trophy in Monaco in 2021 and will begin this year’s quest against Simone Bolelli and Lorenzo Musetti or Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune.

The first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the season commences this week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where a host of Top 10 stars are in action in the Principality.

Two-time champion Novak Djokovic, back at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, will lead the field. Stefanos Tsitsipas eyes a third consecutive title in Monaco and Daniil Medvedev, who has triumphed on Tour four times this year, will be chasing his first trophy on clay.

Here are 10 things to watch this week.

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1) Djokovic Returns: The Serbian will compete for the first time since March when he fell in the semi-finals in Dubai against Medvedev. Djokovic ceded top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after Carlos Alcaraz won Indian Wells, but is back at No. 1 again now after the 19-year-old Spaniard failed to defend his Miami title. Djokovic, who triumphed in Monte-Carlo in 2013 and 2015, is chasing his third title of the season after winning an ATP 250 in Adelaide and his 22nd major at the Australian Open.

The battle for top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin between Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic could significantly change based on one potential match at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters should it come to fruition.

Medvedev and Djokovic will meet in the semi-finals of the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event if they both advance that far. If that blockbuster clash plays out, the result would drastically impact the Live Race.

Medvedev (3,030 points) enters the clay-court season with a 600-point lead over second-placed Djokovic (2,430). If the 27-year-old defeats Djokovic in the Monte-Carlo semi-finals and goes on to claim his first clay-court crown, he would take a 1,240-point advantage over his rival in the Live Race.

However, it goes both ways. If the superstars meet in the semi-finals but Djokovic emerges victorious and goes on to clinch his record-extending 39th Masters 1000 trophy, he would depart the Principality in first place in the Live Race by 40 points.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin (as of 7 April)

Austrians Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler are a perfect 3-0 in ATP Tour finals, with titles in Kitzbühel in 2021, Vienna in 2022 and Acapulco earlier this season. After their Friday semi-final victory at the Grand Prix Hassan II, they will bid to extend their streak in the Marrakech final.

The third seeds defeated fifth seeds Maxime Cressy and Albano Olivetti 6-2, 7-6(1) to advance to the title match at the ATP 250, surviving 11 aces from their opponents and earning the victory without facing a break point. Erler/Miedler will find out their final opponents on Saturday, when Marcelo Demoliner and Andrea Vavassori meet N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan in the second semi-final.

Demoliner/Vavassori booked their semi-final spot on Friday with a 7-6(10), 6-3 win against Sander Arends and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

[ATP APP]

Home Favourites Book Last Estoril SF Spot
Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral are the only all-Portuguese pairing in the Millennium Estoril Open doubles draw, and the home favourites continue to make the most of their opportunity. In the lone doubles match played on Friday at the ATP 250, the defending champions beat Robin Haase and Philipp Oswald 6-3, 7-6(4) to advance to the last four.

For the third straight day at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship, rain has cancelled the bulk of the day's play. While the last Houston first-round match was completed during a brief respite — with Max Purcell winning two games to close out a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win against Daniel Altmaier — the rest of Friday's play was cancelled at the ATP 250.

“We have had several inches of rain in the past two days that have saturated our courts and these unseasonably cool temperatures are slowing down the drying process,” said tournament director Bronwyn Greer. “We want to ensure that our courts are in the best possible condition to complete our tournament this weekend, and with that in mind we have decided to forgo play today with the exception of that first-round match that [was] deep into the third set.”

[ATP APP]

The entirety of the singles second round was scheduled to be completed on Friday, in addition to the quarter-finals. Both rounds are now set to be played on Saturday, with the semi-finals and final scheduled for Sunday. For doubles, the quarter-finals are now set to be played on Saturday, followed by the semis and the final on Sunday.

Two second-round matches were started on Thursday before being suspended: Gijs Brouwer led fourth seed John Isner 6-4, 5-6, while fifth seed J.J. Wolf and Denis Kudla were knotted at 4-4 in their opening set.

Quentin Halys continues to break new ground in 2023.

The Frenchman on Friday advanced to his first ATP Tour semi-final when he defeated former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem 6-1, 6-4 to reach the last four of the Millennium Estoril Open.

“I’m playing really, really good at the moment. For me to be here in the semi-finals for the first tournament on clay is huge for me and I’ve played some really good players,” Halys said. “I’m so happy and I’m looking forward for tomorrow because I think I can do well again tomorrow.

“It’s going to be a tough one, but I’m really looking forward [to it].”

Halys will play top seed Casper Ruud or fifth seed Sebastian Baez for a place in the final. The 26-year-old saved the two break points he faced against Thiem and converted all three of his chances to triumph after one hour and 19 minutes.

Returning to the ATP Tour this week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Novak Djokovic learned the path to his record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 crown on Friday.

The top-seeded Serbian could face in-form Italian Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals and is seeded to meet Miami champion Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo. Djokovic, who is aiming to consolidate his position at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, will open against Brandon Nakashima or Mackenzie McDonald.

The World No. 1 could then play 16th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the third round. The 35-year-old defeated Musetti in a five-set thriller at Roland Garros in 2021. Djokovic is a two-time champion in the Principality, having triumphed in 2013 and 2015.

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Jannik Sinner arrives in Monte-Carlo off the back of a run to his second ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami. He begins his first clay-court tournament of 2023 against Diego Schwartzman or David Goffin.

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind regarding the clay-court season?

Perhaps it is the picturesque Monte-Carlo Country Club or Rafael Nadal’s hold of 14 Roland Garros trophies.

But to Dominic Thiem, this time of year brings feelings of his ‘first love’. For Lorenzo Musetti, it’s dirty socks.

[ATP APP]

The 21-year-old Italian was among those featured in the latest ATP Uncovered, where players gave their predictions for the 2023 clay-court swing.

Daniel Evans moved closer to capturing his first title of the season on Friday in Marrakech.

The Briton defeated Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori 6-3 7-5 to reach the semi-finals of the Grand Prix Hassan II. The second seed will next play fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor or Roberto Carballes Baena.

“I played a bit better today than yesterday and that’s important,” Evans said in his on-court interview. “It’s pleasing as well to get another win. He’s been playing very well. He’d come through qualifying. He has a very, very good game for every surface, but very different for this surface.

“So it was a difficult match and I had to focus really hard and I’m happy I played very well and won.”

Evans arrived in Morocco searching for form, having lost six consecutive matches. But the 32-year-old is now two wins from claiming his second ATP Tour trophy.

The dominant run of third seeds Gonzalo Escobar and Fabien Reboul continued on Thursday at the Millennium Estoril Open. The Ecuadorian/French pair defeated Joao Sousa and Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the semi-finals with the loss of just eight games in two matches.

In their opening match on Wednesday, Escobar/Reboul cruised past Marco Cecchinato and Quentin Halys 6-0, 6-3. After a day off, they will seek to continue their run on Saturday against Serbians Nikola Cacic and Miomir Kecmanovic. Cacic/Kecmanovic also advanced on Thursday with a 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-4 win against Diego Hidalgo and Cristian Rodriguez, while fourth seeds Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen progressed to the semis via walkover.

The fourth doubles quarter-final spot will be claimed on Friday, when home favourites Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral meet Robin Haase and Philipp Oswald.

[ATP APP]

Match Tie-Breaks In Marrakech
Two of the three Thursday doubles matches at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech were decided by Match Tie-breaks. Third-seeded Austrians Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler survived a scare against Czechs Roman Jebavy and Adam Pavlasek, coming from behind to advance 4-6, 6-1, 13-11.

After Wednesday came and went without the completion of a full match at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship, rain continued to wreak havoc on the Houston schedule on Thursday. At 6:10 p.m. local time, tournament organizsers cancelled the day's play, once again without a match being played to completion.

Play was twice interrupted on Thursday, with Gijs Brouwer leading fourth seed John Isner 6-4, 5-6 before play was suspended for the second time at 3:41 p.m. on the stadium court. Fifth seed J.J. Wolf and Denis Kudla were knotted at 4-4 on Court 3 when play was stopped.

All eight second-round matches were on the Thursday schedule in Houston, as well as the conclusion of the opening-round match between Max Purcell and Daniel Altmaier, which Purcell led 6-4, 3-6, 4-3 when Wednesday's play was suspended.

[ATP APP]

Daniel Evans snapped a six-match losing streak on Thursday when he overcame Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-1, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Grand Prix Hassan II.

Making his second appearance at the ATP 250 clay-court event in Marrakech, Evans dictated the baseline exchanges in the heavy conditions. He found great depth on his groundstrokes and saved both break points he faced to advance after 76 minutes.

“It was a tough match. I played well,” Evans said. “I haven’t won for a few tournaments, so it was important to win again. I enjoyed the match and it was good fun. I really like Marrakech, that is why I came back.”

The second seed Evans now leads Popyrin 3-0 in their ATP Head2Head series and will next face Andrea Vavassori or Jaume Munar.

[ATP APP]

Dominic Thiem produced his best performance of the season on Thursday at the Millennium Estoril Open where he cruised past #NextGenATP American Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-2 to reach his first quarter-final of the year.

The Austrian earned a confidence-boosting victory against countryman Sebastian Ofner in the first round and backed that up with a dominant display against Shelton. He crushed the ball off both wings to overpower the American, earning consecutive tour-level wins for the first time since he advanced to the semi-finals in Antwerp in October.

"The higher the ball bounces the better for me. Today was great with the warm weather," Thiem said in his on-court interview following his 63-minute win. "Not windy. The courts are pretty fast and dry and take the spin very well. It suites my game pretty good and I am excited to play the quarter-finals tomorrow.

"I am playing better and better. Just the results in the first part of the season were not there. This part of the season I love it. The European clay-court season."

The former World No. 3 will aim to continue his run when he takes on fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut or Quentin Halys in the last eight. Thiem is up eight spots to No. 103 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and will crack the Top 100 again if he reaches the semi-finals in Estoril.

Carlos Alcaraz returned to the ATP Challenger Tour on Wednesday, not as a competitor, but a spectator.

The Spaniard grew up close from the host site of this week’s Murcia Challenger. After a strong ‘Sunshine Double’ in the United States, Alcaraz returned home and made an appearance at the Costa Calida Region de Murcia.

The eight-time tour-level titlist enjoyed second-round action at the Challenger 75 event and interacted with fans who were eager to meet their home favourite.

The 19-year-old Alcaraz found his professional tennis roots on the Challenger Tour before rising to the top echelons of the sport.