Sinner and Alcaraz Advance to Monte-Carlo Masters Quarterfinals

Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner ended his 37-set winning streak at the Masters 1000 level but still managed to defeat Tomas Machac 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters. This win comes after Sinner's impressive performance last month, where he became the first man to complete the Sunshine Double without dropping a set, winning titles at Indian Wells and the Miami Open. Sinner expressed that he was struggling with his energy levels during the match, stating, "I was a bit tired... I felt great before the match, but in the second set, I struggled to find the right energy." Despite this, he was able to push through and secure the win. Sinner will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals, who progressed after Casper Ruud was forced to retire due to injury. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz also dropped a set before defeating Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, continuing his title defense. Alcaraz will play Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals. Other notable matches included Joao Fonseca easing past Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2 to reach his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal, and Alexander Zverev defeating Zizou Bergs 6-2, 7-5 to reach the tournament's last eight for the first time since 2022. In the Linz WTA 500 tournament, the second and third seeds, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Liudmila Samsonova, were knocked out by 34-year-old Karolina Pliskova and 18-year-old Lilli Tagger, respectively. Additionally, Holger Rune announced his return to action at next month's Hamburg Open after undergoing Achilles surgery in October.