Jannik Sinner defeated Tomas Machac, 6-1, 6-7, 6-3, to reach the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters.
The Italian was struggling physically during the second set, as his Czech opponent threatened to cause an upset on Court Rainier III.
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It was there that Sinner dropped his first set at a Masters 1000 tournament since last October, bringing his record streak to a close.
Jannik Sinner’s consecutive Masters 1000 set streak ends in Monte Carlo
Winning the first set against Machac, Sinner secured his 37th consecutive set at the Masters 1000 level.
He’d already taken the record earlier this year from Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.
Five longest Masters 1000 consecutive set streaks
- 1. Jannik Sinner – 37 (2025 Paris Masters – 2026 Monte Carlo Masters)
- 2. Novak Djokovic – 24 (2016 Indian Wells – 2026 Monte Carlo Masters)
- 3. Carlos Alcaraz – 21 (2023 Indian Wells – 2023 Miami Open)
- 4. Novak Djokovic – 19 (2014 Paris Masters – 2015 Indian Wells)
- T-5. Andy Murray – 18 (2016 Italian Open – 2016 Cincinnati Open)
- T-5. Jannik Sinner – 18 (2024 Shanghai Masters – 2025 Italian Open SF)
Jannik Sinner’s consecutive sets won at the Masters 1000 level
| Tournament | Consecutive sets won | Accumulative consecutive sets | Players beaten in straight sets |
| 2025 Paris Masters | 10 | 10 | 5 (Zizou Bergs, Francisco Cerundolo, Ben Shelton, Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime) |
| 2026 Indian Wells | 12 | 22 | 6 (Dalibor Svrcina, Denis Shapovalov, Joao Fonseca, Learner Tien, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev) |
| 2026 Miami Open | 12 | 34 | 6 (Damir Dzumhur, Corentin Moutet, Alex Michelsen, Frances Tiafoe, Alexander Zverev, Jiri Lehecka) |
| 2026 Monte Carlo Masters | 3 | 37 | 1 (Ugo Humbert) |
He couldn’t quite get to 40, though, as Machac won their second-set tiebreaker, 7-6 [7-3].
Still, Sinner won the match, and in reality, that’s all that matters.
He’ll have a chance to build a new streak when he returns for his quarter-final match.
Jannik Sinner prepares for Felix Auger-Aliassime test in Monte Carlo
Sinner will play Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters.
Before this year’s event, Auger-Aliassime had only won two matches in the principality.
Doubling his tally, the Canadian has booked his place in the quarter-finals, and has now reached the last eight of all nine Masters 1000 tournaments.
Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Masters 1000 record
| Tournament | Best performance | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Indian Wells | QF – 2023 | 9-8 | 53% |
| Miami Open | SF – 2019 | 10-7 | 59% |
| Monte Carlo Masters | QF* – 2026 | 4-6 | 40% |
| Madrid Open | F – 2024 | 8-6 | 57% |
| Italian Open | QF – 2022 | 5-6 | 45% |
| Canadian Open | QF – 2022 | 5-7 | 42% |
| Cincinnati Open | QF – 2021, 2022, 2025 | 12-7 | 63% |
| Shanghai Masters | QF – 2025 | 4-4 | 50% |
| Paris Masters | F – 2025 | 10-5 | 67% |
But can he beat Sinner to reach the semis?
History says no.
Sinner leads Auger-Aliassime 4-2 in their head-to-head, winning their last four encounters.
It was, however, Auger-Aliassime who won their one previous clay-court meeting.
- 2022 Madrid Open – Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Jannik Sinner, 6-1, 6-2
A lot has changed since 2022, though, and Sinner will be confident of reaching the semi-finals.
There, he would play either Alexander Zverev or Joao Fonseca.
Zverev has looked shaky in his first two matches in Monte Carlo, surviving an almighty scare against Cristian Garin before stumbling over the line against Zizou Bergs.
Fonseca, on the other hand, has looked electric in the principality.
Is Joao Fonseca the greatest threat to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in Monte Carlo?
He's qualified for his first career Masters 1000 QF!
Making good on his potential after a slow start to the season, Fonseca defeated Matteo Berrettini to reach his maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final.
The Brazilian will be keen to pick up his first win over Sinner, too, having lost their first career meeting, 6-7, 6-7, at Indian Wells last month.
If Sinner advances past Auger-Aliassime and Zverev/Fonseca, the likelihood is that he will play his great rival, Carlos Alcaraz, in the final.
Alcaraz and Sinner are vying for the world number-one ranking in Monte Carlo.
The Spaniard seems to think it’s inevitable that he will lose the top spot to Sinner, even though he currently has an advantage in the ‘Live ATP Rankings’.
Carlos Alcaraz concedes Jannik Sinner will become world number one!
Will it happen this week in Monte Carlo?
Live ATP Rankings
- 1. Carlos Alcaraz – 12,690 points
- 2. Jannik Sinner – 12,600 points
Only time will tell who will leave Monte Carlo with the world number-one ranking, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
Sinner will first play Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals on Friday, April 10.
