The 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters third round delivered high-stakes drama on Thursday, as two of men’s tennis’ leading title and ranking contenders overcame mid-match stumbles to secure their places in the quarter-finals. World No. 2 Jannik Sinner and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz are locked in a tight battle for the ATP’s top ranking this week, and both players mirrored each other’s rocky paths to the last eight, each dropping a set before grinding out three-set wins.
Sinner, the Italian sensation who entered the clay-court Masters on a 18-match ATP Masters winning streak after back-to-back titles at Indian Wells and Miami, got off to a blistering start against Czech qualifier Tomas Machac, wrapping up the first set in just 26 minutes with a dominant 6-1 score. But the second set brought an unexpected shift in momentum, with Sinner admitting after the match that fatigue drained his energy levels after a high-intested start to the season. “I felt great before the match, but in the second set I struggled a bit with trying to find the right energy,” Sinner told reporters. “This can happen. I tried to push myself through which I’ve done.”
Machac, ranked 45th in the world, kept firing aggressive, high-risk winner attempts, and despite squandering two set points on his own serve at 5-4, he dominated the subsequent tie-break 7-3 to force a deciding set. The result also ended Sinner’s 36-consecutive-set winning streak in Masters 1000-level events, an achievement that will now go down in the ATP record books. But the Italian kept his cool, and a brilliant break to love in the third game of the final set handed him the initiative. Sinner closed out the two-hour and one-minute victory with another break to love, extending his unbeaten Masters run to 19 matches.
Up next for Sinner in the quarter-finals is sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, who advanced far more easily after Norwegian opponent Casper Ruud retired from their match with the score at 7-5 2-2 in Auger-Aliassime’s favor. Looking ahead to his next match, Sinner said he would prioritize recovery to be ready for the next challenge.
Alcaraz, the world No. 1 and defending Monte Carlo champion, followed an almost identical script to Sinner on the iconic center court. The Spaniard also raced through the opening set 6-1, saying he rated his hitting a perfect ten out of ten in the first frame. But just like Sinner, he lost his rhythm in the second set, committing 23 unforced errors and failing to convert a break point chance that would have put him in control. Etcheverry, a powerful clay-court specialist from Argentina, seized his opening, won the second set 6-4 to level the match.
The top seed reclaimed control early in the deciding set, breaking Etcheverry in a marathon second game, but struggled with first serve consistency throughout the final set. He saved a critical break point to hold for 5-2, then needed three match points to close out the two-hour and 23-minute win, booking his place in the quarter-finals with a 6-1 4-6 6-3 scoreline. Alcaraz credited his opponent for forcing the battle, saying “Especially on clay he’s a great fighter. It’s been a great day, a great battle.”
The defending champion will face Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik for the first time in his quarter-final match. Bublik, who defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-2 7-5 to reach the last eight, shares Alcaraz’s reputation for world-class drop shot skills, and the pair have even practiced together in the past. “It’s going to be fun to play,” Alcaraz said. “Let’s see who has the best drop shot.”
The day also delivered a breakthrough story for young tennis talent: 19-year-old Joao Fonseca of Brazil became the youngest player to reach the Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-finals in two decades, after a confident 6-3 6-2 win over Italy’s Matteo Berrettini. The last player younger than Fonseca to reach this stage of the event was Rafael Nadal, who achieved the feat alongside Richard Gasquet back in 2005.
“It is super special,” Fonseca said on court after his win. “Of course I want more. I am very confident and focused.” The teenager will face third seed Alexander Zverev of Germany in the quarter-finals, after Zverev beat Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs 6-2 7-5. Zverev said he was looking forward to the matchup with the rising star. “He is a young upcoming talent and I think we will play each other a lot more in the next couple of years,” Zverev said.
For Sinner, the week already guarantees a shot at history: he served a provisional ban last year that has left him with no ranking points to defend at this event, meaning he will overtake Alcaraz as the new world No. 1 if he outperforms the Spaniard in Monte Carlo. Both players have now advanced to the last eight, keeping the tense ranking battle alive heading into the weekend.