Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, to reach the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters.
The Spaniard was pushed into a third hour of play by the Argentine, but managed to secure his spot in the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals.
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There, he will meet Alexander Bublik, who defeated Jiri Lehecka earlier on Thursday.
During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, Alcaraz was warned just how dangerous Bublik can be…
Carlos Alcaraz told Alexander Bublik is the ‘worst player’ to face if he has doubts
Former world number 21 Gilles Muller delivered his verdict on Alcaraz’s third-round win.
“Gave himself a little scare there, [Carlos] Alcaraz,” said Muller.
“[But] Alcaraz did what champions do.
“You could see he was doubting, he was frustrated, he said that he lost his confidence in the backhand during the match, but somehow he found a way to turn it around.
“It wasn’t [pretty], but I think it’s those matches that sometimes are the most important. It’s easy to win when you are feeling great, but when you are not, finding that way to win gives you a lot more than when it is too easy.”
Muller does, however, think Bublik, Alcaraz’s quarter-final opponent, could take advantage of those ‘doubts’ in their first career meeting.
“You never know exactly what is coming when you play [Alexander] Bublik,” he said.
“I think, like Alcaraz, what he did today, losing his confidence a little bit, doubting himself, I think Bublik is the worst player to play when you have doubts.
“He’s not going to give you rhythm, he’s going to come in, he’s going to attack you all the time, he’s going to hit the dropshots…
“It’s going to be a tough one, I think.”
Unlike Alcaraz, Bublik has yet to drop a set in Monte Carlo, defeating Gael Monfils, 6-4, 6-4, and Lehecka, 6-2, 7-5.
The Kazakh could reach a new career-high of ninth with a win on Friday, which might give him the extra motivation he needs to defeat the world number one.
Live ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points | Points with next win |
| 1 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 12,790 | 12,990 |
| 2 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 12,600 | 12,800 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 5,355 | 5,555 |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 4,710 | – |
| 5 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 4,150 | 4,350 |
| 6 | Ben Shelton | USA | 3,900 | – |
| 7 | Alex de Minaur | Australia | 3,895 | 4,095 |
| 8 | Taylor Fritz | USA | 3,870 | – |
| 9 | Lorenzo Musetti | Italy | 3,625 | – |
| 10 | Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 3,560 | – |
| 11 | Alexander Bublik | Kazakhstan | 3,535 | 3,735 |
| 12 | Casper Ruud | Norway | 2,625 | – |
| 13 | Jiri Lehecka | Czechia | 2,540 | – |
| 14 | Karen Khachanov | Russia | 2,410 | – |
| 15 | Andrey Rublev | Russia | 2,350 | – |
Alcaraz didn’t seem too concerned about the match-up with Bublik during his post-match interview, and instead relished the opportunity to test himself against a fellow dropshot expert.
“Let’s see, it’s going to be the first time we meet in an official tournament. We practised once,” he said.
“It’s going to be fun to watch, to play, let’s see who has the best dropshot!”
‘I have a lot of respect for him’ – Carlos Alcaraz on Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Alcaraz was complimentary towards his third-round opponent, Etcheverry, after their second career meeting.
- Carlos Alcaraz beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry at a Challenger Tour event six years ago
“He shows every match, in every tournament how difficult it is to beat him,” said Alcaraz.
“I would say especially on clay, he is a great fighter.
“I have a lot of respect for him, what he is doing in tournaments, what he is doing on tour.
“It is impressive, I’m really happy to see us climbing in the tour, looking back a little bit, in 2020, the first time we met on a tennis court in the Challengers. Now to see us playing on the centre court in Monte Carlo, it’s special.
“I’m just really happy about it, and everybody could see today how good he is. It’s been a great battle.”
Etcheverry didn’t enjoy the same meteoric rise as Alcaraz, but has slowly made his way up the rankings.
And at 26, the Argentine is in the midst of his best-ever year.
He won the Rio Open in February and currently sits 11th in the ‘Live ATP Race to Turin’, within touching distance of an ATP Finals spot.
It’s no surprise that Alcaraz had to work as hard as he did to reach the quarter-finals!
“I was feeling the ball really well in the first set, hitting the ball 10/10 I would say, and then, in the second set, I started well, had chances to break his serve in the second game, but didn’t take it, and as I say every time, when you don’t take the opportunities at this level, you have to run back,” said Alcaraz.
“He gained a bit of confidence after that, became more aggressive, hitting the ball better, and not making that many mistakes.
“After that, I would say the conditions were a little bit slower, which became a little bit tougher, but I would say it was a great fight.”
Muller, too, was impressed by Etcheverry, although he was keen to point out the reason why the Argentine has yet to beat a top-10 player.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry’s record
- vs Top-5 players: 0-7
- vs Top-10 players: 0-19
- vs Top-20 players: 3-31
- vs Top-50 players: 26-66
- vs Top-100 players: 80-100
“I think he’s obviously a great player and can definitely achieve more, but he doesn’t have that big weapon, a big serve or a huge forehand that is going to give him a lot of free points,” he said.
“He always has to work very hard for his points.
“He has the mindset for it, I think top-20 [is possible], yeah, especially with the confidence he has, that he has built over the last few weeks and months.
“[But] I think to beat those guys [top 10/20], you need a big weapon, and as I said, I don’t feel like he has it yet.
“He has improved his serve a lot… But at the moment, it’s just not enough to beat those top guys.”
Etcheverry is ranked inside the world’s top 30, but has only recorded three career top-20 wins.
If he wants to make his way into the top-20 or top-10, he’ll need to find a way to beat the very best players on tour sooner rather than later…
Etcheverry is scheduled to return to action at next week’s Barcelona Open.
Alcaraz will be back on court for his quarter-final match on Friday, April 10.
