Nadal Monte-Carlo 2012 Tennis Results

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic led the way to the 2012 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters quarterfinals which saw six of the top 9 seeds advancing and 2 unseeded European players joining the elite list. Seven-time tournament champion Nadal overwhelmed a qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin with the loss of only two games 61 61, while top-seeded Djokovic needed three sets to overcome 16th-seed Alexandr Dolgopolov 26 61 64.

Other seeded players included 3rd-seed Andy Murray, 4th-seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6th-seed Tomas Berdych and 9th-seed Gilles Simon. Murray advanced when his French opponent Julien Benneteau was forced to resign while trailing 5-6 in the first set with a right ankle injury. Tsonga outlasted former finalist Fernando Verdasco 76 62. Berdych downed young Japanese Kei Nishikori 26 62 64. Simon pulled out a minor upset when he eliminated 7th-seed Janko Tipsaveric 60 46 61.

Two unseeded players – Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland and Robin Haase of the Netherlands – gate crashed in to the quarterfinals of the 2012 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tennis tournament. Wawrinka upset 8th-seeded Nicolas Almagro in straight sets 63 63. Although Almagro was in fine form this season, the result is barely an upset. Wawrinka is a former world #9 and a winner of three clay court titles in his career, the most recent in the 2011 Chennai tennis tournament.
The bigger surprise is the presence of the 55th-ranked Haase in the quarterfinals. Haase downed recent Houston champion and 11th-seed Juan Monaco to reach the second round. He then eliminated Fabio Fognini before downing Thomaz Bellucci to reach the last eight. Bellucci was the surprise winner over fifth-seed David Ferrer in the second round.

For the quarterfinal match-ups on Friday, Djokovic will go up against Haase, Nadal battles Wawrinka, Tsonga and Simon will battle to represent France in the semifinals, and Murray and Berdych will match up for a semifinal slot. Of the four quarterfinals, Djokovic and Nadal are heavy favorites to advance. The two other quarterfinals between top nine seeds will most likely be determined by the player showing up in stronger form on that day.

Singles - Third Round
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d [16] A Dolgopolov (UKR) 26 61 64
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [Q] M Kukushkin (KAZ) 61 61
[3] A Murray (GBR) d J Benneteau (FRA) 65 ret. (right ankle)
[4] J Tsonga (FRA) d [13] F Verdasco (ESP) 76(7) 62
[6] T Berdych (CZE) d [12] K Nishikori (JPN) 26 62 64
[9] G Simon (FRA) d [7] J Tipsarevic (SRB) 60 46 61
R Haase (NED) d T Bellucci (BRA) 62 63
S Wawrinka (SUI) d [8] N Almagro (ESP) 63 63