In a day of surprising results at the Rothesay International and Mallorca Championships, Marcos Giron and Gael Monfils emerged victorious in their respective first-round matches.
At the Rothesay International in Eastbourne, England, Marcos Giron caused a major upset by defeating defending champion Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina. Giron secured a tight 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) victory in one hour and 41 minutes, showcasing a dominant first serve and resilience under pressure, never conceding a break point.
Chinese teenager Shang Juncheng also made waves with a hard-fought 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (4) win over No. 7 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina. Shang, a 19-year-old qualifier, impressed with 38 winners, including 11 aces. Additional winners on Monday included Billy Harris of Great Britain, Max Purcell of Australia, and Aleksandar Vukic.
Meanwhile, in Mallorca, Spain, Gael Monfils delivered a strong performance on grass, defeating Austria’s Dominic Thiem 6-3, 7-6 (3) in their first-round encounter. Monfils, playing his first grass court match since Wimbledon 2021, turned the tide against Thiem, a player he had previously struggled against with a 0-6 head-to-head record. Monfils dominated with 13 aces and an impressive 89.7% first serve win rate (35 of 39), while also not facing a break point throughout the match.
In other matches at the Mallorca Championships, No. 5 seed Luciano Darderi of Italy triumphed over Spain’s Pedro Martinez 7-5, 7-5, while Fabio Fognini, also from Italy, claimed a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) victory against Dutchman Gijs Brouwer. Australian Rinky Hijikata, Austrian Sebastian Ofner, and Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko also advanced to the second round.
These results set the stage for further exciting matchups as both tournaments progress, with players aiming to make their mark on the grass courts ahead of the upcoming Wimbledon Championships.
