Monte-Carlo Masters: Jannik Sinner wins but sees incredible run come to an end as Carlos Alcaraz joins him in the last eight.

Jannik Sinner saw his streak of 37 consecutive Masters 1000 titles ended by Tomas Machac as the Italian reached the quarter-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters with a 6-1 6-7 (3) 6-3 victory.

Last month Moetsalibe became the first man to complete the Sunshine Double without dropping a set, claiming titles at Indian Wells and the Miami Open, and had also won the Paris Masters title last year.

Despite the setback, Moetsalibe recovered to seal victory over his Czech opponent to continue his charge to unseat the current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

Not every day is the same. I was struggling a little bit, a little bit tired,” Sinner said.

“I felt good 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, which I did. Even when you don’t feel strong, you try to find ways and that was the case today and I’m happy. The most important thing is to recover.”

Moetsadibe faces Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals after the sixth seed advanced when Casper Ruud was forced to retire with Canada leading 7-5 2-2.

Alcaraz continues to defend the ATP rankings

Alcaraz then 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 went down in an unexpected fightback in the second set when he committed 23 unforced errors to allow Etcheverry, the reigning Rio ATP 500 champion, to win the set and force a third set.

But the pressure on Alcaraz doesn’t just come from his opponents on the court, as the Sinner’s title could mean he returns to the world No.1 spot.

“I felt the ball really well in the first set, I hit the ball like 10 out of 10,” Alcaraz said.

“Then in the second set, I also started playing well. I had chances to break his serve in the second game, but I didn’t take it.

“And like I say every time, when you don’t take these kinds of chances, you have to go back.

“So I’d say he got a little more confident after that, played aggressively, hit the ball better and didn’t make as many mistakes.

“After that, I’d say the pace was slower, it got tougher, but I’d say it was a good quality fight in the end.”

Alcaraz will play Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals, the first time the pair will play in an official tournament, after the Kazakhstani took a 6-2 7-5 victory over Jiri Lehecka in 75 minutes.

Zverev, Fonseca, De Minaur, and Vacherot also

Elsewhere, 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.

Third seed Alexander Zverev defeated Zizou Bergs 6-2 7-5 to reach the final night of the tournament for the first time since 2022.

Australia’s Alex De Minaur won a convincing 7-5 7-6 (7-4) win over qualifier Alexander Blockx, who had celebrated his 21st birthday the previous day, after earlier exits at the Miami Open and Indian Wells.

In the final match of the day, Valentin Vacherot made history by becoming the first Monegasque in the Open Era to make the top eight in Monaco, following his 6-7(4) 6-3 6-4 victory over Hubert Hurkacz.

Vacherot’s victory on home soil comes just eight months after his achievement in which he became the youngest Masters 1000 champion since the series began in 1990 when he was won in Shanghai as world No.204.

The local wildcard makes Linz angry

The second and third seeds, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Liudmila Samsononova, were eliminated from the Linz WTA 500 tournament on Thursday.

Samsonov was beaten by 18-year-old Lilli Tagger, a local player, who reached her first clay quarter against Anastasia Potapova.

34-year-old Karolina Pliskova from the Czech Republic beat Alexandrova to advance to the last eight.

Anastasia Potapova, Donna Vekic, Lina Gjorcheska, Marina Bassols Ribera, Elvina Kalieva and Lisa Pigato all won their matches to complete the top eight.

Rune started to come back after Achilles surgery

Three-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist Holger Rune will return to action at next month’s Hamburg Open after undergoing Achilles surgery in October.

Rune ruptured his last Achilles tendon in the semi-finals of the Stockholm Open when he was in the group against Ugo ⁠Humbert.

Days later, he returned to the top 10 in the world rankings despite losing his second title of the year.

“The hard work starts in Hamburg. I’m looking forward to getting back on clay at the Bitpanda ⁠Hamburg Open and to finally feel the atmosphere on the site again after such a long break,” the 22-year-old Dane said in a statement.

The Hamburg Open starts on May 16, with German world No. 3 Alexander Zverev also taking part.

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