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 after a challenging match against Tomas Machac, ultimately securing a 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 victory to reach the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters. Sinner had previously achieved the Sunshine Double without dropping a set, winning titles at Indian Wells and the Miami Open, and also claimed the Paris Masters title last year. Despite struggling with fatigue, Sinner managed to recover and seal the win over his Czech opponent, moving closer to potentially dethroning current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. "I was a bit tired, but I tried to push myself through," Sinner said. "Even when you don't feel your best, you try to find ways, and that's what I did today." Sinner will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals after the sixth seed progressed following Casper Ruud's retirement. 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 defense. The Spaniard faced an unexpected battle in the second set, making 23 unforced errors, but managed to regain momentum in the third set. "I was feeling the ball really well in the first set, but then I started playing well in the second set too," Alcaraz said. "I had chances to break his serve, but I didn't take them, and that's when he gained confidence." Alcaraz will play Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals, while 19-year-old Joao Fonseca eased past Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 event for the first time. Alexander Zverev defeated Zizou Bergs 6-2, 7-5 to reach the tournament's last eight for the first time since 2022. Other winners included Alex De Minaur, who took a tight 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) win over qualifier Alexander Blockx, 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 Karolina Pliskova of Czechia defeated Alexandrova to ease through to the final eight. Meanwhile, Holger Rune will return to action at next month's Hamburg Open after having Achilles surgery in October.