Francisco Cerúndolo and Tomás Etcheverry win Monte-Carlo Masters debuts

The Argentine tennis stars progressed to the round of 32 while Sebastián Báez, Federico Coria and Facundo Díaz Acosta were each bounced

It was a bittersweet debut for Argentina’s top tennis players at the Monte Carlo Masters 1000, as Francisco Cerúndolo and Tomás Etcheverry progressed to the Round of 32, while Sebastián Báez, Federico Coria, and Facundo Díaz Acosta each fell in their opening matches.

Etcheverry (ranked 31 in ATP singles) beat Chile’s Nicolás Jarry (21) 6-4, 7-5 in just over two hours on Tuesday. The Argentine, who reached the semi-finals at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston last week, made a similarly strong showing. He’ll face two-time Monte Carlo winner Stefanos Tsitsipas (12), from Greece, in his next match.

Cerúndolo, ranked 22 and making his Monte-Carlo Masters debut, was looking to improve on his recent play that has seen him struggle to make it past the round of 32 outside of the Rio Open in Rio de Janeiro. He defeated Germany’s Daniel Altmeier (52) 6-2, 7-6 (3) in one hour and 49 minutes and will now face Russian Karen Khachanov (17), who’s currently competing under a white flag and who defeated Cerúndolo at the Miami Masters 1000.

Báez was the first Argentine to play at Monte-Carlo on Sunday. Currently the highest-ranked Argentine on the ATP at 19, the Buenos Aires native has enjoyed an impressive season, winning the Rio and Chile Open back-to-back in March. After winning the first set 6-1, however, he would drop the next two to Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff (25) in two hours and 25 minutes.

Coria (89) lost 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 to Frenchman Ugo Humbert in two hours and 15 minutes on Sunday after entering the main draw through the qualifying rounds. Buenos Aires Open winner Facundo Díaz Acosta, who qualified as a “lucky loser” after dropping his final qualifying match, lost 6-2, 6-4 to Spanish Roberto Bautista Agut on Tuesday in one hour and 34 minutes.

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