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 managed to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters with a 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 victory over Czech opponent Tomas Machac. Sinner's winning streak had begun after claiming titles at Indian Wells and the Miami Open without dropping a set, earning him the Sunshine Double title. Despite struggling with fatigue, Sinner pushed through to defeat Machac and continue his pursuit of dethroning current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. In the quarterfinals, Sinner will face sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who progressed after Casper Ruud retired due to injury. Alcaraz also dropped a set before securing a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win over Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry to continue his title defense. The pressure is on Alcaraz, as a successful title run by Sinner could potentially bump him back up to the world No. 1 spot. Alcaraz will face Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals, while 19-year-old Joao Fonseca secured his first quarterfinal spot in a Masters 1000 event with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Matteo Berrettini. Other winners include Alexander Zverev, Alex De Minaur, and Valentin Vacherot, who made history as the first Monegasque in the Open Era to reach the top eight in Monaco. In the Linz WTA 500 tournament, the second and third seeds, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Liudmila Samsonova, were knocked out, while Anastasia Potapova, Donna Vekic, and Karolina Pliskova secured spots in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Holger Rune announced his return to action at the Hamburg Open in May after undergoing Achilles surgery in October.