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"I watched a lot this tournament on TV. I saw
many champions. I'm happy to play here for the first time," Fils
said. "Well, it's good to play the tournament, but it's also
good to win matches, and I hope I'll keep coming here in the
following years, and I'm sure it's going to become a milestone
in my season."
Fils' countryman Richard Gasquet was 18 when he upset Roger
Federer at this tournament in 2005.
Up next for Fils is Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated No. 13
seed Taylor Fritz in straight sets on Sunday.
Unseeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime cruised to a 6-2, 6-3
win over Italian qualifier Luca Nardi, setting up a second-round
showdown with No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.
Auger-Aliassime did not face a break point in the 82-minute
match, finishing with 21 winners and nine unforced errors. It
was just his second win in five appearances in Monte Carlo.
"It is not the Masters where I have had the most success, even
though I train here and live here. But it is a good start to the
week," Auger-Aliassime said. "I am really happy with my level,
taking control of the match and staying composed and taking care
of business."
Auger-Aliassime is 3-2 against Alcaraz heading into their first
meeting on clay.
No. 9 seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria improved to 7-0 in
first-round matches in 2024 with a 7-5, 6-2 win against local
favorite Valentin Vacherot.
"It was a difficult match," said Dimitrov, a two-time
semifinalist in Monaco. "I am glad I kept on going. I know I was
far away from my game but I have other things I can do in
moments like that and that helped me step up a little bit and
that was enough."
In other action involving seeded players, No. 12 Stefanos
Tsitsipas of Greece defeated Serbia's Laslo Djere 6-3, 3-2
(retired) and No. 14 Ugo Humbert of France rallied to defeat
Argentina's Federico Coria 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. No. 15 Karen Khachanov
of Russia held off Great Britain's Cameron Norrie 7-5, 7-6 (3).
--Field Level Media
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