A quarterfinal day that looked straightforward on paper turned more complicated than expected on Thursday, with both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner required to go three sets to advance at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Neither will mind. Both are through, and Friday’s last eight — the best day of tennis in Monaco all week — is now set.
Play begins at 11 a.m. local time on Court Rainier III and Court des Princes.
Fonseca vs. Zverev
This match opens the day on the main court and is the match of the round. Joao Fonseca, 19, reached his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal on Thursday with a dominant 6-3, 6-2 dismissal of Matteo Berrettini, becoming the youngest player at this stage in Monte Carlo since Rafael Nadal in 2005.
He now faces the considerably stiffer test of third seed Alexander Zverev, who scraped into the last eight with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Zizou Bergs after his near-exit against qualifier Cristian Garin on Wednesday.
Zverev has admitted his level has not been there this week — “I’m not playing well… but I’m in the quarterfinals and that’s the most important thing” — and Fonseca will fancy his chances against a player still finding his clay legs. This is their first meeting on tour.
Sinner vs. Auger-Aliassime
This match follows on the center court. Sinner ground out a 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-3 win over Tomas Machac on Thursday in a match that ended his streak of 37 consecutive sets won at Masters 1000 level — the longest such run the Italian had built across titles at Paris, Indian Wells and Miami.
He recovered well in the third set and remains on course for a maiden Monte Carlo title, which would also return him to world No. 1. His opponent, sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, advanced when Casper Ruud was forced to retire at 7-5, 2-2 in the second set. The Canadian has never won a set against Sinner in three previous meetings.
Alcaraz vs. Bublik
Bublik is the defending champion’s assignment. Alcaraz committed 47 unforced errors on Thursday against Etcheverry, won only 63 per cent of points on serve and had his serve broken twice before finding his way to a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win.
He told his coach during the difficult second set that he had no feel for the ball; by the third, he had rediscovered the variety that defines him on clay. Eighth seed Alexander Bublik, his quarterfinal opponent, beat Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 7-5 and is a tricky proposition — a former back-to-back clay title winner in Gstaad and Kitzbühel who plays an unorthodox game that can disrupt rhythm. Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 3-1.
The fourth quarterfinal
This pits fifth seed Alex de Minaur against either Hubert Hurkacz or Valentin Vacherot. The local Monegasque Vacherot caused one of the week’s biggest upsets by eliminating fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti on Wednesday and has been the crowd favourite throughout.
With Sinner and Alcaraz both in the draw and on a potential collision course for Sunday’s final, and a teenage first-time quarterfinalist in the mix to cause further chaos, Friday at the Monte-Carlo Country Club has the makings of a genuinely memorable day.
