Monte-Carlo
Alcaraz rebounds from 23-error set to return to Monte-Carlo QFs
World No. 1 toughs out Etcheverry in three-set tussle, sets Bublik QF
April 09, 2026
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is on a seven-match winning streak at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
By Jerome Coombe
Carlos Alcaraz watched a flying start slip into a tense battle on Thursday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, but the defending champion ultimately held firm to secure his return to the quarter-finals.
The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings burst out of the blocks against Tomas Martin Etcheverry and, despite entering a three-set scrap, Alcaraz carved out a hard-fought 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory. After spraying 23 unforced errors in the second set and briefly appearing short of answers, the 22-year-old Spaniard sharpened his focus at just the right moment to keep his title defence alive.
STILL reigning supreme 👑@carlosalcaraz‘s title defence launches into the Elite 8 @ROLEXMCMASTERS | #RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/yjr5vtVDZk
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 9, 2026
“I was playing really well in the first set. I was feeling the ball 10/10,” Alcaraz said. “Then I started pretty well in the second set as well and had a chance to break his serve in the second game, but I didn’t take it. When you don’t take the opportunities at this level, you have to run back. He played more aggressive after that, but I would say it was a great fight in the end.”
Although Etcheverry, the reigning Rio ATP 500 champion, deserves credit for his second-set surge — during which he reeled off four straight games from 0-1 down — Alcaraz’s shot selection wavered noticeably. At times overly aggressive, the Spaniard stayed committed to his approach despite an error-strewn dip, eventually rediscovering his full range in the decider to set a quarter-final meeting with eighth seed Alexander Bublik.
Alcaraz’s fierce rival, Jannik Sinner, remains in contention to reclaim the World No. 1 spot Monday with a title run in Monte-Carlo, among other scenarios. The Italian overcame a three-set test against Tomas Machac on Court Rainier III earlier on Thursday, before Alcaraz followed with a similarly hard-earned win in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Etcheverry.
The final two sets stood in stark contrast to the opener, which Alcaraz swept through after claiming the first eight points of the match. Yet with fired-up coach Samuel Lopez offering pointed guidance from the sidelines, the Spaniard regrouped and rediscovered his rhythm, striking 13 winners in the decider to stretch his clay-court winning streak to 15 matches.
The Spaniard also lifted clay titles last year in Rome and at Roland Garros, where he saved three championship points against Sinner in a gripping five-set final.
Alcaraz’s quarter-final opponent in Monte-Carlo, Bublik, produced a statement performance to also advance on Thursday. The Kazakhstani channelled his inner Roger Federer in a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Jiri Lehecka in 75 minutes.
Bublik lit up the first set with a stunning one-handed backhand winner before edging a tight second to reach his maiden Monte-Carlo quarter-final. The 28-year-old is now 18-5 on clay since the start of last year, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, a run highlighted by titles in Gstaad and Kitzbuehel following his quarter-final showing at Roland Garros in 2025.
