Sinner and Alcaraz Advance to Quarterfinals at Monte-Carlo Masters

Jannik Sinner's streak of 37 consecutive sets won at Masters 1000 level came to an end, but he still managed to defeat Tomas Machac 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 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 his energy levels, Sinner recovered to secure the win over his Czech opponent and continue his bid to dethrone current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. "I was a bit tired, but I tried to push myself through and find ways to win, which I did," Sinner said. Sinner will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals 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 defense. The Spaniard fell into an unexpected battle in the second set, making 23 unforced errors, but recovered to win the match. "I was feeling the ball really well in the first set, but then I started playing well in the second set too. However, I didn't take my chances to break his serve, and he gained confidence," Alcaraz said. Alcaraz will play Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals, while other winners included Joao Fonseca, 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. Meanwhile, in the Linz WTA 500 tournament, the second and third seeds, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Liudmila Samsonova, were knocked out, and Holger Rune announced his return to action at next month's Hamburg Open after having Achilles surgery in October.