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 after a tough match against Tomas Machac, but still managed to secure a spot in the quarter-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters with a 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 victory. Sinner had previously won titles at Indian Wells and the Miami Open without dropping a set, earning him the Sunshine Double. Despite struggling with fatigue, Sinner pushed through to defeat his Czech opponent and continue his pursuit of dethroning current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. "Not every day is the same, I was struggling a bit, I was a bit tired," Sinner explained. Sinner will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals after the sixth seed progressed when Casper Ruud was forced to retire. Alcaraz also dropped a set before taking a 6-1 4-6 6-3 win over Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry to continue his title defence. The Spaniard fell into an unexpected battle in the second set, making 23 unforced errors, but managed to regain control in the third set. Alcaraz will play Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals, while 19-year-old Joao Fonseca eased past Matteo Berrettini 6-3 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of a Masters 1000 event for the first time. Alexander Zverev and Alex De Minaur also advanced to the quarter-finals, along with Valentin Vacherot, who made history as the first Monegasque in the Open Era to make the top eight in Monaco. In other news, Holger Rune will return to action at next month's Hamburg Open after having Achilles surgery in October.