Dubai champion Medvedev suffers shock 6-0, 6-0 defeat on Monte Carlo clay

Dubai champion Daniil Medvedev makes no bones about his dislike for clay, calling it the worst surface in the world, despite winning the 2023 Italian Open. His complaints range from his socks and locker rooms getting dirty, bad bounces and slower speeds, all leading to him becoming impatient on court.

And on Wednesday, his feet of clay was cruelly exposed by 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini who handed the 30-year-old Russian his first double bagel defeat of his career, a 6-0, 6-0 thrashing in just 49 minutes at the Monte Carlo Masters.

Going into the tournament as the seventh seed, Medvedev, current world No 10 and 2021 US Open champion, missed two break points in the opening game and then completely unraveled, making 30 unforced errors and serving five double faults.

The former world No 1 did not win more than two points in any of the last 11 games and his frustrations boiled over in the second set, smashing his racquet into the court an astonishing six times.

Interestingly, Berrettini hasn’t lost a single game in his first two rounds at the event. The 29-year-old advanced in the first round when Roberto Bautista Agut retired with the Italian leading 4-0. 

"I think it was one of the best performances of my life," Berrettini said. "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.

"I faced two break points in the first game and then after that it felt I was playing better than him. I was not expecting to win zero, zero like that. But I kept my focus as I know one break or two breaks is not enough sometimes, so I kept pushing.”

Berrettini added: "I have been playing for a long time, so I felt it was really important to hold my serve at the start of the second set. It is a matter of a few points at the start and then when you go up two breaks you are more relaxed and the ball is [flying] out of your racquet."

It is also the first time 29-year-old Berrettini has won a tour-level match 6-0, 6-0, while it is his first Top 10 win since he beat Alexander Zverev last season in Monte-Carlo, a tournament that also saw Alex De Minaur inflicting similar pain on Grigor Dimitrov as he won their quarter-final clash 6-0, 6-0.

Berrettini, a former world No 6 but currently ranked world No 90, mainly due to being sidelined by injury for long stretches, will hope to continue his perfect week when he meets Joao Fonseca or Arthur Rinderknech in the third round.