Carlos Alcaraz survived a scare against Tomas Martin Etcheverry before advancing in Monte Carlo.
The Spaniard, who knocked out Sebastian Baez in his opening match, won the opening set against Etcheverry in only 20 minutes and looked set to close out the match in double-quick time.
However, the Argentine refused to be quelled, winning the second set 6-4.
Alcaraz broke early in the third set and never looked back, securing the final act 6-3.
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Earlier in the day, Jannik Sinner – Alcaraz’s great rival – experienced similar difficulties during his second-round match against Tomas Machac.
However, both endeavoured to secure their places in the quarter-finals; as has world number three, Alexander Zverev.
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev end Monte Carlo drought
As per statisticians OptaAce, As per statisticians OptaAce, the ATP’s top three – Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev – have all reached the quarter-finals at the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time since 2014.
Alcaraz will play Alexander Bublik in the last eight, while Sinner and Zverev will face Felix Auger-Aliassime and Joao Fonseca, respectively.
Before today, Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic were the last top-three trifecta to reach the Monte Carlo quarter-finals.
Nadal, the top seed, saw his campaign ended by compatriot David Ferrer in the last eight.
Djokovic and Wawrinka advanced, defeating Guillermo García López and Milos Raonic, respectively.
Wawrinka defeated Ferrer in the semi-finals, while Djokovic was beaten by Roger Federer.
In the final, Wawrinka defeated his compatriot 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.
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After winning the final, Wawrinka admitted that he was nervous before the match.
“Well, I think at the beginning we were both nervous,” Wawrinka said during his post-match press conference.
“The first set we were not moving so well because we were hesitating a lot, looking at each other both. But he did better than me. He was serving a little bit better.
“Then for me was important to fight with myself. It’s never easy to play him ‑ especially in a final.
2026 Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals
- Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexander Bublik
- Jannik Sinner vs Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Alexander Zverev vs Joao Fonseca
- Alex de Minaur vs Valentin Vacherot / Hubert Hurkacz
“But I did see I was playing good tennis. It was few little change to take the advantage. I start to play more aggressive, trying to push him more.
“Yeah, when you win a match like this, it’s only one or two points, especially in the tiebreak. But I think I did a great tiebreak. I was serving big and being really aggressive.
“Then I took the advantage at the beginning of the third set. I saw that he was a little bit tired. Me, I was playing better and better, especially moving better.”
Alexander Bublik said Carlos Alcaraz should not be ‘disrespected’ after comparison to himself
After reaching the 2025 Paris Masters quarter-finals, Alexander Bublik was compared to Prakash Amritraj during a conversation on the Tennis Channel.
“I’m going to make a comparison with Carlos here,” Amritraj said. “Because I feel like when Carlos plays, he’s got all these different tools, but it’s tough to, almost, choose the right shot at the right time.
“And I feel like we’ve seen that with you as well, because you pull out all these crazy shots. Do you feel your shot selection has improved?”
“Oh, but first of all, you cannot compare me to Carlos in any matter,” Bublik responded. “Let’s put it like this. Don’t disrespect Carlos, okay?
“I like Carlos since he was 16 years old, playing on a side court in Australia. Don’t disrespect him that way (smiles).
“No, obviously I became better in choosing my shots, yes. Because otherwise I would not be winning matches that often and keep consistency throughout, you know… it’s the end of the season, so since April I’ve been consistent.
“And I hope to continue the same way.”
Alcaraz and Bublik are set to contest their first match on the ATP Tour when they step onto court in Monte Carlo on Friday.
The winner of their contests will play either Alex de Minaur, Valentin Vacherot or Hubert Hurkacz in the Monte Carlo semi-finals.
