Sinner and Alcaraz Advance to Quarter-Finals at Monte-Carlo Masters

Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner ended his 37-set winning streak at Masters 1000 level but still managed to defeat Tomas Machac 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-3, advancing to the quarter-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters. Sinner, who previously achieved the Sunshine Double without losing a set, is now one step closer to surpassing current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. Despite struggling with fatigue, Sinner overcame his challenges to secure the win. 'Not every day is the same. I was struggling a little bit, I was a bit tired,' Sinner stated. 'I felt great before the match. In the second set, I struggled a bit to find the right energy, but this can happen.' Sinner will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals after the sixth seed progressed following Casper Ruud's retirement. Meanwhile, Alcaraz dropped a set before taking a 6-1 4-6 6-3 win over Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry to continue his title defence. Alcaraz will play Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals, marking the pair's first official tournament match. Other notable matches included 19-year-old Joao Fonseca easing past Matteo Berrettini 6-3 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of a Masters 1000 event for the first time, and Alexander Zverev defeating Zizou Bergs 6-2 7-5 to reach the tournament's last eight for the first time since 2022. Valentin Vacherot made history as the first Monegasque in the Open Era to make the top eight in Monaco, following his 6-7(4) 6-3 6-4 win over Hubert Hurkacz. The second and third seeds, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Liudmila Samsonova, were knocked out of the Linz WTA 500 tournament on Thursday. Additionally, three-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist Holger Rune will return to action at next month's Hamburg Open after having Achilles surgery in October.