Jannik Sinner moved into rarefied air with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Félix Auger-Aliassime, becoming only the fourth man to win 20 consecutive matches at Masters 1000 events — joining Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
The Italian recovered strongly after Tomas Machac had ended a 37-set winning run for Sinner in the fourth round, dispatching the Canadian in straight sets to secure a semi-final berth. The result also keeps Sinner’s bid to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking on course; Carlos Alcaraz took that spot from him in November and Sinner is pressing to get it back.
“It felt like a step forward today,” Sinner said after the match. “It was a very tough match. I knew I had to improve some areas. My serve isn’t where I want it yet, but overall I’m very happy. I was tired yesterday and recovered well last night. Let’s see what happens tomorrow, but I’m very happy to be back in the semis.”
Sinner will face Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals after the German survived a testing contest against Brazil’s João Fonseca, prevailing 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-3.
Alcaraz cruises, Vacherot stuns to reach semis
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced comfortably, overwhelming Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-0 to reach the last four as he looks to hold off Sinner in the race for the top ranking. Alcaraz dropped just three games, a welcome response after an early Miami exit to Sebastian Korda and the pair’s first-ever official meeting.
“I started pretty well,” Alcaraz said. “There were moments I lost a bit of the feeling on the ball and had to defend a lot, but a few games boosted my confidence. I played aggressively and solidly against someone who can produce anything, so I’m happy to be through and into another semi-final here.”
Alcaraz will meet hometown favourite Valentin Vacherot, who produced a huge performance to become the first Monegasque player to reach a Monte-Carlo semi-final. Vacherot saved 13 break points before beating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in front of a raucous home crowd.
“It’s such an honour to be in the semis with the best players of the last few years,” Vacherot said. “I can’t wait to play Carlos in my hometown. The crowd chanting are my friends from when I was nine or ten — it’s rare to have this many people around and I feel so lucky to have a tournament in my club.”
Vacherot is projected to enter the ATP top 20 when the rankings update on Monday, a rise that impressed Alcaraz.
McIlroy to watch tennis as he prepares for Masters
Meanwhile, golf defending champion Rory McIlroy, holding a six-shot lead after his second round at Augusta, said he plans to try to keep his mind off the pressure and will watch the Monte-Carlo semi-finals as a distraction.
“I’ll probably try to keep my mind off it. That distraction is usually good for me, especially with a late tee time and the lead,” McIlroy told reporters. “There are two really good semis at Monte-Carlo in the tennis, so I’ll watch those — Sinner v Zverev and Vacherot v Alcaraz.”
All four remaining men in Monte-Carlo now have momentum: Sinner and Alcaraz are fighting for ranking supremacy while Zverev and Vacherot arrive with form and belief, setting up compelling semi-finals.