Fabio Fognini opened the defense of his Monte Carlo Masters title with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Miomir Kecmanovic Tuesday as second-ranked Daniil Medvedev withdrew from the clay-court tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.

The 15th-seeded Fognini was set to start his campaign Monday but rain delayed his return by a day. Back on the stage of his biggest success two years earlier, Fognini advanced to the second round after hitting 27 winners.

The Italian baseliner triumphed on the Riviera in 2019, beating 11-time champion Rafael Nadal on his way to the title. The tournament was canceled last year because of the pandemic.

“It is really special because I was born here, I was born in (nearby) San Remo,” said Fognini, reflecting on his return. “I was practicing here since I was 14 years old. I have a lot of memories here.”

Fognini will face Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the second round.

Italian teenager Jannik Sinner, who was runner-up in Miami this year, also progressed to set up a mouth-watering contest with top-ranked Novak Djokovic. Sinner defeated 2017 runner-up Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 6-4.

Djokovic will be playing for the first time since winning his ninth Australian Open title in February.

Nadal is also playing in the tournament, chasing a record-extending 12th title here. He has recovered from a back injury and will be playing in only his second tournament of the season following a quarterfinal exit at the Australian Open.

“I am good. Honestly, I am confident. I am playing well,” Nadal said. “It’s true that I didn’t play much. At the same time, (it) is true that I had good success in the past without playing much.”

Earlier, second-ranked Daniil Medvedev withdrew from the first major clay-court tournament of the season following a positive COVID-19 test. Organizers said Medvedev was placed in isolation.

“It’s a big disappointment not to play in Monte Carlo,” Medvedev said. “My focus is now on recovery and I look forward to getting back out on Tour as soon and as safely as possible.”

Fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Aslan Karatsev and will take on either John Millman or 16th-seeded Cristian Garin for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Medvedev, who was seeded second behind top-ranked Djokovic at the ATP Masters 1000 event on clay, has been put in isolation and is being monitored, the men’s tennis governing body said in a statement.

“It’s a big disappointment not to play in Monte-Carlo,” said the 25-year-old Medvedev.

“My focus is now on recovery and I look forward to getting back out on Tour as soon and as safely as possible.”

The ATP on Monday posted a video of Medvedev’s practice session in Monte Carlo with Spaniard Rafa Nadal. The governing body did not respond to a request for comment on Nadal’s participation in the tournament.

As a Monaco resident, Medvedev was allowed to stay at his home as per tournament protocols while other players are staying in bio-secure bubble accommodation.

Players living at home are required to test daily for the virus while those in the restricted environment are tested every four days.

Nadal, who is chasing a record-extending 12th title in Monte Carlo, and his team were tested on Monday as per protocols and all results were negative, the Spaniard’s publicist Benito Perez-Barbadillo told Reuters on Tuesday.

“Nadal is absolutely fine,” Perez-Barbadillo said on phone from Monte Carlo. “As we understand the virus does not anyways show before three-four days. The next scheduled testing is in three days.”

The Russian was replaced in the draw by Argentinian lucky loser Juan Ignacio Londero while he was also withdrawn from doubles.

Agencies