Classic favorites Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both advance to the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters after their victories on April 16, 2014. Both players won straight sets. Federer had an easier time defeating Radek Stepanek in just 52 minutes, scoring 6-1 and 6-2 while Nadal had to make up for a bad start to outscore Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-4 and 6-1.
Nadal is the No.1 seed worldwide and previously lost the title to No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic in 2013. The Spaniard had a bad opening service game with Gabashvili leading 3-1 in the first set. After both players were tied 4-4, Nadal gained momentum in six straight games. Gabashvili afterwards broke Nadal's serve again and played with very few errors, according to USA Today.
Nadal said about his suspenseful victory, "I think I started little bit of slow. But he was playing very, very aggressive, hitting very strong, with no mistakes." He added, "I felt comfortable in the second set. I think I was playing better."
In a report by The Guardian, Roger Federer is back in the Monte Carlo Masters after a 3-year hiatus. His return was through a wildcard where he faced off against the Czech Stepanek but found the match quite easy. He led over Stepanek 5-0 in 17 minutes. Stepanek has not defeated Federer in six years and their total record is 14-2.
Federer said, "I was able to get a lot of returns back into play. On clay, when you have the upper hand from the baseline, it's kind of hard to get out of it." He added, "It was clearly a good match to start my clay-court campaign."
Nadal is also known to favor clay courts. In a report by Daily Times, Federer never won the grand prize at Monte Carlo. He lost in three straight final matches against Nadal from 2006 to 2008. Both players will face each other only if they make it to the finals.