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 emerging victorious with a 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 win to reach the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters. Sinner had previously achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first man to complete the Sunshine Double without dropping a set, securing titles at Indian Wells and the Miami Open. Despite struggling with fatigue, Sinner managed to recover and seal his victory over Machac, keeping his hopes alive to dethrone the current world No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz. "Not every day is the same. I was struggling a little bit, I was a bit tired," Sinner explained. "I felt great before the match. In the second set, I struggled a bit to find the right energy, but this can happen. I tried to push myself through, which I have done. Even when you don't feel your best, you try to find ways, and that was the case today, and I am happy. The main priority is to recover." Sinner will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals after the sixth seed progressed when Casper Ruud was forced to retire with the Canadian leading 7-5 2-2. Meanwhile, 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 when he made 23 unforced errors, allowing Etcheverry to storm to a set win and force a third. Alcaraz will play Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals, the first time the pair will play one another in an official tournament, after the Kazakhstani took a 6-2 7-5 win over Jiri Lehecka in 75 minutes. Elsewhere, 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. Third seed Alexander Zverev defeated Zizou Bergs 6-2 7-5 to reach the tournament's last eight for the first time since 2022. Australia's Alex De Minaur took a tight 7-5 7-6 (7-4) win over qualifier Alexander Blockx, who had celebrated his 21st birthday the day before, after early exits at the Miami Open and Indian Wells. In the final match of the day, 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. Vacherot's victory on home soil comes just eight months after his breakthrough where he became the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion since the series' inception in 1990 when he won in Shanghai as the world No. 204. The second and third seeds, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Liudmila Samsonova, were knocked out of the Linz WTA 500 tournament on Thursday. Samsonova was beaten by 18-year-old Lilli Tagger, a local wildcard, who is through to her first clay quarterfinal against Anastasia Potapova. While 34-year-old Karolina Pliskova of Czechia defeated Alexandrova to ease through to the final eight. Anastasia Potapova, Donna Vekic, Lina Gjorcheska, Marina Bassols Ribera, Elvina Kalieva, and Lisa Pigato all won their matches to complete the top eight. Three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Holger Rune will return to action at next month's Hamburg Open after having Achilles surgery in October. Rune suffered the season-ending Achilles tendon rupture in the Stockholm Open semifinals when he was up a set against Ugo Humbert. Days later, he returned to the top 10 in the world rankings despite losing out on a second title of the year. "The hard work starts in Hamburg. I can't wait to be back on clay at the Bitpanda Hamburg Open and to finally experience the atmosphere on site again after such a long break," the 22-year-old Dane said in a statement. The Hamburg Open starts on May 16, with Germany's world No 3 Alexander Zverev also taking part. Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost.