Kamal Ghorui
Former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev endured a stunning on-court meltdown as he was thrashed 6-0, 6-0 by Matteo Berrettini at the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday.In a moment that quickly went viral, Medvedev lost his temper midway through the second set, smashing his racquet seven successive times on the red clay before tossing the mangled frame into a courtside trash bin. The outburst, which drew sarcastic cheers from the crowd, earned him a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct and is likely to result in a hefty fine.The 30-year-old Russian was already reeling when the incident occurred. After dropping his opening service game in the second set to fall 2-0 behind, Medvedev slammed his racquet near the baseline, then hurled it toward the back of the court. Still furious, he repeatedly smashed it until it was completely destroyed.WATCH: Medvedev smashed his racquet seven successive timesBerrettini’s flawless displayWhile Medvedev struggled, Berrettini delivered one of the finest performances of his career. The Italian, currently ranked No. 90 and playing on a wild card, dominated from start to finish in a one-sided contest that lasted just 49 minutes.“I wouldn’t expect to win like that and it doesn’t happen that often,” Berrettini said after the match.The statistics underlined the gulf between the two players. Medvedev committed five double faults, landed just 36% of his first serves, and won only 17 of 67 points. In contrast, Berrettini was near flawless, missing just a handful of shots throughout the match.Rare ‘double bagel’ shockAccording to Opta, Berrettini became only the fifth player since the ATP Rankings began in 1973 to defeat a top-10 opponent 6-0, 6-0 — a rare scoreline known as a “double bagel.” The last such instance came a decade ago when David Goffin routed Tomas Berdych.The result marked a dramatic reversal in their rivalry, with Medvedev having won all three of their previous meetings.Coming into the match, Medvedev had shown solid form on hard courts, including a recent run to the final at Indian Wells where he defeated world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. But his first clay outing of the season turned into a nightmare.
