Thiago Monteiro reaches the round of 16 of the Masters 1000 in Rome

Thiago Monteiro is in the round of 16 of the Rome Masters! The Brazilian played well again and defeated the Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic by 2 sets to 1 (6/2, 4/6, 7/6 [6]), this Sunday morning (12), reaching the fourth round of an ATP 1000 for the first time in his career. His next opponent will be the American Benjamin Shelton or the Chinese Zhang Zhizhen.

This was Thiago Monteiro’s fifth consecutive win this week. He won two matches to qualify and another three in the main draw. These last three triumphs have come against opponents ranked better than him. Currently, the Brazilian is 106th in the world rankings and has surpassed Gael Monfils (38th), Jordan Thompson (35th) and now Kecmanovic (58th).

This is already the best season by a Brazilian in a Masters 1000 since 2016, when Thomaz Belucci also reached the round of 16 in Rome. Thiago Monteiro will face No. 12 seed Benjamin Shelton (14th) or Zhizhen Zhang (56th) in the round of 16. If he were to advance, he could face Serbian Novak Djokovic, the world leader, in the quarterfinals.

THIS. AND. WHAT. IT. IT MEANS. #ThisIsTennis@dThiagoMonteiro | @InteBNLdItalia | #IBI24 pic.twitter.com/79YHwGQt75

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 12, 2024

Monteiro has already collected 95 points in qualifying and three victories at the Rome Masters. He thus rises 22 positions in the world ranking, momentarily reaching 84th place. In the next update, it will be the first time in almost a year that he will return to the top 100 in the world. If he reaches the quarterfinals, the Brazilian could reach 65th place in the rankings.

What the game was like

Facing an opponent who defeated Norwegian Casper Ruud, ranked seventh in the world, in the second round, Thiago Monteiro played an excellent first set. After saving three break points to confirm the initial game, the Brazilian grows in the set and becomes dominant. He got breaks in the sixth and eighth games to win 6/2 and take command of the match.

The scenario changed in the second set, when Kecmanovic raised the level of play and managed to create a break in the first game. He didn’t give break points to the Brazilian for the entire set and so he won 6/4. In the third set, the Serbian forced the break in the fifth game, but the Brazilian then returned it. The tennis players exchanged game confirmations and the duel ended in a tie-break.

In the tie-break Monteiro and Kecmanovic demonstrated a high level. The Serbian manages to achieve a mini break at 3/2, but the Brazilian equalizes immediately afterwards. The situation repeated itself shortly after: Kecmanovic opened 5/3 and Monteiro managed to equalize. The Serbian still had match point at 6/5, but the Brazilian scored three points in a row and managed the comeback, winning 8/6 in 2h37min of the match.

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.