Jannik Sinner secured his place in the Monte Carlo quarter-finals, overcoming Tomas Machac in a three-set match.
Sinner, who has never won a clay-court Masters 1000 title, dropped a set at an ATP Masters event for the first time in 186 days.
The Italian had previously claimed the last three Masters 1000 titles – at Paris, Indian Wells and Miami – without dropping a set.
Sinner’s Streak Ends, But Victory Secured
Sinner’s impressive streak of 37 consecutive sets won was halted when Machac won the second set tie-break.
It marked the first time Sinner had dropped a set at that level since the Shanghai Masters in October, where he retired injured against Tallon Griekspoor.
Regaining his composure, Sinner sealed the victory against Machac with a 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 scoreline, marking his 19th consecutive win at a Masters tournament.
The second seed is now set to face Canadian sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals.
Alcaraz Battles Through
Carlos Alcaraz continued his title defence bid in Monte Carlo after he recovered from an error-strewn second set to beat Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-1 4-6 6-3.
After surging through the opening set in 26 minutes, the Spaniard’s levels dipped and he hit 23 unforced errors in the second before regrouping to strike 13 winners in the decider.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion will face eighth seed Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals after the Kazakh defeated Miami Open runner-up Jiri Lehecka in straight sets.
Potential Number One Ranking for Sinner
If Sinner emerges victorious in the Monte Carlo tournament, he will overtake Carlos Alcaraz to become the world number one when the rankings are updated on Monday.
He has no ranking points to defend until the Italian Open at the start of May because he was serving a three-month suspension this time last year for failing two doping tests.
Sabalenka Withdraws From Stuttgart Open
Aryna Sabalenka has withdrawn from the Stuttgart Open due to an injury.
“I’m very sad to say that I won’t be able to play the Porsche Tennis Gran Prix this year,” she posted on Instagram.
“Unfortunately I suffered an injury after Miami, and even though I tried everything to recover in time, I’m not ready to compete.”
Sabalenka became just the fifth female player to win the ‘Sunshine Double’ last month when she followed up her Indian Wells triumph with success in Miami.
The Belarusian, who is a four-time runner-up in Stuttgart, will be replaced by Poland’s Magdalena Frech at the tournament, which starts on Monday.