Thursday Preview: Alcaraz, Sinner Chase QF Spots

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz continues his title defence in a first-time meeting with Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry Thursday at the Monte-Carlo Country Club as all round-of-16 matches will be played.

Alcaraz, who went 22-1 on the clay season last year, made a sharp start to his clay campaign Tuesday when he dropped just four games against another Argentine, Sebastian Baez.

Etcheverry comes into the match at No. 28 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, just one spot below his career high, and will move to No. 25 if he can effect an upset.

Second seed Jannik Sinner, who is guaranteed to reclaim World No. 1 from Alcaraz if he wins the title this week, takes a 3-0 record against Czech Tomas Machac into their clash.

Sinner is looking to become just the third player (alongside Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal) to win four consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles. He triumphed in Paris late last season and completed the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami last month.

The Italian has won 36 consecutive sets at Masters 1000 level. He is yet to reach a final here in Monte-Carlo, but he was a semi-finalist in 2023 and ‘24.

Third seed Alexander Zverev opens the Court Rainier III schedule Thursday in a first-time meeting with Belgian Zizou Bergs. The German admitted that he didn’t find his best tennis in Wednesday’s opening-round win over Cristian Garin, during which he rallied from 0-4 in the third set.

In the final match on centre court, Valentin Vacherot will look to become the first Monegasque to reach the quarter-finals on home soil. On Wednesday he claimed his second Top 5 win when he upset 2025 finalist Lorenzo Musetti.

Two of the game’s brightest young stars will bookend action on Court des Princes. Brazilian teen Joao Fonseca opens play against Matteo Berrettini, who scored a stunning 6-0, 6-0 win over Daniil Medvedev Wednesday. Berrettini won his only meeting with Fonseca in 2024 in an indoor hard-court Davis Cup tie.

In the fourth match of the day, 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Blockx will face fifth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur. The Belgian, who upset World No. 16 Flavio Cobolli Wednesday, is up to a career-high No. 70 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will climb inside the Top 60 if he can claim his first Top 10 win.