Monte-Carlo Masters Day Five Round-up | Alcaraz and Sinner survive three-set thrillers while Zverev, Auger-Aliassime, de Minaur all secure quarterfinal spots

Day five at the Monte-Carlo Masters saw the quarterfinal lineup set in stone. It was a day when upset results were not in store. This did not stop Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner from finding themselves under the cosh. While they both managed to come through tense battles, it was not an easy day out for the world number one and two.

Sinner took to the court first, hoping for a statement win. Early signs were promising, but he was quickly pressurised by Tomas Machac, seeing his 18-match streak without dropping a set at Masters 1000 level end in a 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-3 win.

In just 26 minutes, Sinner was already a set up and probably thinking ahead of what looked certain to be a fourth quarterfinal in Monte-Carlo. He had points to win every game, ruthlessly running away with it while sending out a statement to the tournament.

However, it was anything but simple. Machac came fighting back and caught Sinner off guard. Four games in a row saw the Czech fully in command, 5-2 in front with two chances to serve it out. The world number two had other ideas and slowly reigned him back in, surviving more break points at 5-5 before a hold to love from Machac confirmed a tiebreak.

Machac would not regret squandering such a large advantage. He rocketed off into a 6-2 lead, taking his second set point to keep himself firmly in this tennis match. In the end, Sinner proved too strong. A much more routine set of tennis saw the Italian clinch a solitary break while dropping just three points on serve on the way to a 5-3 lead. He broke to love to cap off a closely fought tie and a minor scare expertly averted.

Up next was Alcaraz who was hopeful of a much smoother outing than his counterpart. While he would come out on top 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 against Tomas Martin Etcheverry, it was a tricky match for the Spaniard which saw the best of him, and at times some sloppiness which almost cost him a chance to defend his title.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion showed his worth with a stunning first set. He did not let his guard drop once. The stats backed this up, pinning 14 of his 15 first serves in, winning 12 of them. He took 50% of break points that came his way while dropping just three points on serve.

However, this would not continue in such fine standards. Etcheverry capitalised on a flurry of errors to move 5-2 ahead in a match he looked dead and buried in. Etcheverry won four games in a row to move into a 4-1 lead, later 5-3 when Alcaraz missed the chance to get back on serve. The Argentine saw it out and forced a tense deciding set.

Alcaraz had suffered a major dip in his game. A whopping 23 unforced errors in that second set was not a good sign. However, he showed great resilience and class to snatch an early break and move into a position of authority. A late break point was avoided and the 2025 champion sailed into a 5-2 lead, later wrapping it up with his third match point.

Alexander Zverev had not had it simple in Monaco this week. However, this time it was a straight sets victory instead of a tight three-set battle he endured the day before, sending Zizou Bergs tumbling out of the competition 6-2, 7-5.

The match was kicked off with a trio of breaks. This was to the fortune of the world number three who, from a 2-1 lead, sailed further clear with another break. Bergs attempted to halt his progress with a hold but the damage had been done. Zverev cruised to a one-set advantage and looked to compound his advantage.

It was looking likely that Zverev would see himself move ahead. He was putting the Bergs serve under all sorts of pressure while dictating events on his. Predictably, he got a much-needed break, but would falter at a crucial time. Bergs gave the German something to think about, nicking a break while Zverev attempted to serve it out. However, he was not able to back this up. Zverev took back the lead and this time served it out. While it was not his best performance, it was enough to prevent a huge upset in the Principality.

It was simpler for Felix Auger-Aliassime, but not in terms of performance. He won out a remarkably tight first set before being handed a fortunate boost through Casper Ruud retiring while 7-5, 2-2 down.

It was the Norwegian who started faster, ticking off the first three games of the match before Auger-Aliassime responded with a burst of his own. The match was back on serve, but only for four games. With a tiebreak looking imminent, the world number seven took a gigantic leap towards a hefty advantage by swiping the advantage away from Ruud. He would go on to serve it out, but only after surviving a break point from Ruud to confirm a tiebreak.

The three-time Grand Slam finalist had recently lost out to Auger-Aliassime in the UTS final in Nimes. He was hoping for some revenge to be dished out, but that ambition was halted due to injury. He took a timeout at 1-1 in the second set, having his calf looked at. Two games later, he called it a day. A wise move with his Madrid Open title on the line very shortly. For Auger-Aliassime, he is into a 13th Masters 1000 quarterfinal, and a first in Monaco.

It will be a third consecutive last-eight appearance for Alex de Minaur after he produced the goods to edge Alexander Blockx 7-5, 7-6 (4) in a closely fought matchup.

Blockx was competing in a first Masters 1000 third round after taking down Flavio Cobolli the day before. He was looking to get another big name out of the tournament, and the signs looked good. The 21-year-old broke the de Minaur serve to love in a statement of intent. He was quickly brought back to reality as the Aussie got level straight away. Another massive sucker punch hit him as the first set culminated, being broken before seeing his opponent run away with the breakthrough.

Early break opportunities in the second set were spurned by both players. The next six games saw just three points won against the serve. A bit more pressure was put on as it got closer to a tiebreak, but it seemed imminent. De Minaur quickly showed who was in charge, blasting into a 5-2 lead before taking his first match point. It was a valiant effort by the Belgian, but he proved to be another victim at the hands of last year’s semi-finalist.

Joao Fonseca has made it into a maiden Masters 1000 quarterfinal. In doing so, he has dumped former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini out of the tournament with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph.

Going into the match, Berrettini had won all 16 games played in this year’s tournament. 12 of them consisted of a double-bagel victory over a hot-headed Daniil Medvedev. The streak ultimately came to an end in the first game as Fonseca kicked off with a hold.

Both players were controlling events on their serve, right until the ninth game where Fonseca capitalised on a single opportunity to break. He would hold to love in the next game and move closer to breaking new ground.

This dream soon became reality. After the pair traded breaks of serve, the Brazilian, who had many fans cheering him on passionately, won four games on the spin from 2-2 to blast his way past a dangerous opponent in formidable fashion. The 19-year-old’s troubles at the start of the year are now a distant memory, with him looking to progress deeper into the tournament.

Alexander Bublik has caught the eye of many in Monaco. He has performed to a high level, and that continued in a noticeable 6-2, 7-5 win over Jiri Lehecka.

The Czech had previously reached the Miami Open final and was a force to be reckoned with. Momentum was on his side compared to the Kazakh who was faltering slightly after a fast start to the year. Despite all of this info, the talking is done on the court. Here, Bublik showed his class. At 2-2, he dropped just five points amid a rapid burst which saw him move a set to the good.

He was never threatened on his own serve, having a couple of pokes on his opponents in the second set but to no avail. The set seemed destined for a tiebreak decider, but Bublik robbed the fans of that spectacle. He mustered up one match point, and took it to confirm a second Masters 1000 quarterfinal on clay and a first in Monte-Carlo.

The final action of the night was a highly anticipated one for the locals. Home hero Valentin Vacherot came to the Monte-Carlo Masters for the first time with a lot of hype and expectation surrounding him after a breakthrough 2025. He has so far lived up to the expectation, defeating Hubert Hurkacz 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4 to reach the last-eight stage in his home event for the first time.

The first set looked certain to go the way of the Monegasque after a blistering start saw him catch out the sluggish Hurkacz as he went 4-0 in front. Before he knew it, he was 5-4 down to a resurgent Pole who ticked off five games in a row to mark an incredible turnaround. It eventually went to a tiebreak where the momentum Hurkacz had gained in the second part of the set paid off.

His lead was soon made redundant as Vacherot came charging back. He broke the serve to edge 4-2 in front and saw it out with a convincing hold to love. The third set was filled with tension. Every opportunity felt like it had to be seized. This was the case for Vacherot who, on the fourth try, finally broke the Pole’s serve to go 4-3 ahead. His minerals were tested late on, but he passed with flying colours. Three break points were saved before the first match point cropped up. The 27-year-old took it and confirms his return tomorrow. He has breached the top 20 in the world for the first time, and has the chance to make even more progress in tomorrow's quarterfinals on home soil against de Minaur.