The Monte Carlo Masters delivered one of the most stunning upsets of the 2025 ATP clay court season on Wednesday, as former world number one Daniil Medvedev suffered a humiliating 6-0, 6-0 defeat at the hands of Italian wildcard Matteo Berrettini in the tournament’s second round. The result marks the first double-bagel loss of Medvedev’s entire professional career, wrapping up in just 49 minutes of play on the iconic red clay of the Mediterranean resort.
Medvedev’s match unravelled almost from the opening serve. After failing to convert two early break points in the first game, the Russian’s rhythm collapsed entirely. He coughed up 30 unforced errors and five double faults over the course of the match, failing to win more than two points in any of the final 11 games. As his frustration mounted in the second set, Medvedev vented by smashing his racquet into the court surface four times in a display of visible disappointment.
For Berrettini, a former Wimbledon finalist now ranked 90th in the world, the result stands as one of the standout performances of his career. “I think it was one of the best performances of my life,” the Italian said post-match. “I think I missed three shots in the entire match and it is not easy against a tricky player like Daniil. I think the game plan was perfect and my weapons were working.” Berrettini will next face 19-year-old Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca in the round of 16, after Fonseca claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 win over France’s Arthur Rinderknech to advance.
While Medvedev exited early, world number three Alexander Zverev fought through a grueling three-set battle to avoid an upset of his own, edging out Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in a match that stretched over two hours and 50 minutes. Zverev, who is targeting his first clay-court Masters 1000 title to complete a full set of titles across all three clay Masters events, looked set for an early exit after dropping the opening set and falling 4-0 behind in the deciding set. When Garin held serve to go 5-3 up, he even held a match point on his own serve, but Zverev dug deep to break the Chilean’s momentum, reeling off five consecutive games to seal the comeback. He saved three break points in a tense final game before converting his third match point to advance.
Speaking after the match, Zverev admitted his performance was far from his best, noting his lack of preparation on clay this season. “My level was not there at all to be honest,” he said. “But it was my first clay-court match in 11 months. I didn’t have much time to prepare as I played well in Miami. I am happy to get the win. It was a tough match and he is someone playing well, especially here.” Zverev will next face unseeded Belgian Zizou Bergs in the third round, after Bergs pulled off a major upset of his own, beating 2023 Monte Carlo champion Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-1.
Wednesday’s play also saw a string of other early upsets for seeded players. Fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti, who entered the tournament as last year’s runner-up, suffered a 7-6(6), 7-5 defeat to home wildcard Valentin Vacherot of Monaco. The result continues a difficult run for Musetti, who has struggled with injury since retiring from the Australian Open quarter-finals in January with an upper leg injury, and lost his opening match on return at Indian Wells last month before withdrawing from Miami with an arm problem.
Other seeded players fared better: sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada advanced past Croatia’s Marin Cilic in straight sets, while 2024 Monte Carlo finalist Casper Ruud of Norway overcame a tough test from France’s Corentin Moutet to move through. Czech 11th seed Jiri Lehecka also came from a set down to beat Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo, but two other seeded players – Flavio Cobolli and Francisco Cerundolo – crashed out in the second round, continuing the trend of early upsets on the Monte Carlo clay.