Carlos Alcaraz earned his place in the Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-finals, but it wasn’t without struggle.
The world number one dropped a set against Tomas Martin Etcheverry, after hitting 23 unforced errors in a worrying second set.
Alcaraz was congratulatory about Etcheverry’s performance, but he looked far from comfortable in stages against the Argentine.
The Spaniard was in constant discussion with his coach, Samuel Lopez, and what he was heard saying should be a worry.
Carlos Alcaraz’s worrying discussion with Samuel Lopez
Alcaraz looked comfortable at the start of the match against Etcheverry and he took the first set straightforwardly by a scoreline of 6-1.
The second set, however, was a different story and the world number one struggled to get a feeling for the ball.
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He was overheard saying to Lopez: “It’s really hard to trust it when I don’t have the feeling with the ball right now.”
While Alcaraz showed his mentality and talent by coming back to win the second set, his tests will only get harder from now.
With a match against Alexander Bublik on the horizon, Alcaraz will be hoping he can get to grips with the conditions and the balls quickly.
Alcaraz is looking to become just the fourth player to win back-to-back titles this century at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
He would be following in the footsteps of former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Rafael Nadal, and Stefanos Tsitsipas with a second Monte-Carlo win in a row.
Carlos Alcaraz has faced a tough ride in Monte-Carlo
Alcaraz was awarded a slightly easier draw than Jannik Sinner, but his section of the draw has had its own challenges.
The transition from hardcourt to clay is always a tough one for players and Alcaraz has had to play two clay court specialists already in Monte-Carlo.
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Both Sebastian Baez and Etcheverry had already played clay court events this year, on the South American swing in February.
Alcaraz’s match against Bublik will also be tough as the Kazakhstani has shown immense form on the surface in the last year.
After earning his place in the quarter-finals, Bublik is 19-2 on clay since the 2025 Italian Open last May and he has also won 10 matches in a row on the surface.
Alcaraz will need to be at his absolute best to defeat Bublik for the first time in his career.
