MONACO (AP) — In an impressive display, second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 victory over qualifier Daniel Altmaier on Thursday.
Alcaraz showcased his resilience by saving nine out of ten break points and capitalizing on five of his seven opportunities.
“To be honest, it was quite challenging; Danny played exceptionally well,” the world No. 3 Alcaraz remarked. “The score doesn’t reflect how tough it really was.”
Competing in his first clay-court tournament of the season, the Spanish star has won four consecutive sets, dropping just five games since losing the opening set to Francisco Cerundolo in the round of 32.
Alcaraz is set to face rising star Arthur Fils on Friday, who pulled off a stunning 6-2, 6-3 victory over 2023 champion Andrey Rublev in the round of 16.
Fils has made it to the quarterfinals in three consecutive Masters events, following his successes in Indian Wells and Miami last month, boosting his season record to 14-6.
Thursday also saw some unexpected upsets as two higher-seeded players were eliminated.
Fourth-seeded Casper Ruud succumbed to Alexei Popyrin with a scoreline of 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, while fifth-seeded Jack Draper fell to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-4. The British left-hander struggled with his serve, recording 10 double faults and putting less than half of his first serves in play.
Ranked 42nd, Davidovich, who previously dispatched 11th-seeded American Ben Shelton in the first round, will take on Popyrin in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, three-time Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas is slated to compete in the late match against unseeded Nuno Borges.
