This year’s Miami and Charleston champion notched her 17th victory in 18 matches as she now looks to book a maiden WTA 1000 clay-court quarterfinal. The 13th seed faces former semifinalist Irina-Camelia Begu Monday in the pair’s first clash since 2018, won by Collins at the Miami Open. Begu routed No. 27 seed Elise Mertens, 6-2, 6-0.
Taking on compatriot Sebastian Korda, Fritz did not face a break point in sailing through, 6-3, 6-4. The No. 11 seed has now won nine of 11 contests on red dirt, following a runner-up showing in Munich and semifinal run at the Mutua Madrid Open. Grigor Dimitrov, who posted a 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory over Terence Atmane, awaits in the round of 16.
“I just came to Monte Carlo a bit early. Obviously that wasn’t my best week, so I had a lot of extra time to practice. The biggest thing is just being mentally ready, feeling very motivated for this whole swing,” Fritz told ATP Media.
“I felt like a bit earlier in the year, when I was traveling, playing, I kind of was burnt out. Wanted to be home. Maybe that had a play in not playing my best. I’ve just been really motivated and excited to be playing and put some good results on.”
