Jannik Sinner saved a match point to beat Hubert Hurkacz 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 after 2 hours and 27 minutes on Court Rainier III at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
Sinner saved six of eight break points he faced and broke serve four times.
Hurkacz came back from 15-40 down to hold serve at deuce in the first game. The Polish player earned his first break in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. Sinner went down 0-3 0-40 in the fourth game, but he saved three break points to hold serve at deuce for 1-3. Hurkacz saved two break points in the fifth game and held his final two service games to close out the first set 6-3 on his third set point.
Sinner trailed Hurkacz by a set and a break at 3-6 1-2, but he broke straight back to draw level to 2-2. Sinner did not convert two break points in the eighth and twelfth games. The Italian player came back from the brink of defeat when he trailed 5-6 facing a match point in the tie-break of the second set. He reeled off three consecutive points to save the match point and sealed the tie-break of the second set 8-6.
Sinner cruised through to a 6-1 win in the third set with three breaks of serve improving his win-loss record to 23-5.
Sinner has reached the quarter finals at six of the seven tournaments he has played this year.
Sinner has drawn level to 2-2 in his four head-to-head matches against Hurkacz.
Sinner set up an all-Italian quarter final match against Lorenzo Musetti, who upset world number 1 Novak Djokovic 4-6 7-5 6-4.
“It was a very tough match. Playing against him, I knew already from the beginning that it was very tough to get into the rhythm. I think he served incredible in the first one and a half sets, and when I broke him the first time the momentum changed a little bit. He also had match point. These kinds of matches can go both ways. I am happy that it went my way, and happy that I can play at least one more match. I can feel the energy of the crowd. There are a lot of Italians here and and they helped me a lot, especially when I am in a very tough situation on the court. This helps me, and I try to get a lot of energy from that. Let’s see what’s coming from the next round”, said Sinner.
Andrey Rublev moved past his compatriot Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 after 1 hour and 30 minutes earning his 50th tour-level win.
The first set went on serve en route to the tie-break. Rublev raced out to a 4-0 lead with two mini-breaks. Khachanov pulled one mini-break back for 2-5. Rublev earned three set points at 6-3 with his third mini-break. Khachanov saved the first set point, but Rublev closed out the tie-break 7-4 on his second opportunity.
Khachanov earned an immediate break in the first game of the second set. Rublev came back by winning six of the next seven games with three breaks of serve.
“We know each other too well. The first set was only mental. We did not show some tennis skills, but it was tough to show skills because the wind was really hard and the court was slippery. It was tough do something. The first set was super mental. As soon as I was able to win a set, I started to feel more free and I felt Karen more down, so that was the difference”, said Rublev.
Rublev set up a quarter final match against Jan Lennard Struff, who upset last week’s Estoril Open champion Casper Ruud 6-1 7-6 (10-8). Struff fired 37 aces and broke four times to reach his first Masters 1000 quarter final since Cincinnati 2020. The German player moved up 36 spots to world number 64 in the Live ATP Ranking.
Rublev and Khachanov lost to Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski
Stuff dropped to world number 168 after suffering from a foot injury last year during a match in Miami. He was sidelined foor more than two months. He returned to the top 100 last month.
Struff cruised through the first set 6-1 with two breaks of serve in the second and sixth games before overcoming Ruud in a tight second set. Struff broke serve in the fifth and seventh games to take a 5-2 lead.
Ruud saved two match points and fought back from 2-5 down to take a 6-5 lead in the second set by winning four consecutive games, but Struff drew level to 6-6 forcing the match to the tie-break.
Struff ended Ruud’s nine-match winning streak on clay. The Norwegian player, who reached the Roland Garros final in Gstaad last year and in Estoril last week. Ruud saved a third match point in the tie-break. Struff sealed a hard-fought tie-break, when Ruud sent a return out.
Two-time defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas extended his winning streak in Monte-Carlo to 12 consecutive matches with a 6-3 6-4 win over Nicolas Jarry after 93 minutes on Court Rainier III.
Tsitsipas won 80% of his first serve points, broke once in each set and saved both break points he faced. Jarry avenged his defeat against Jarry, who had beaten his Greek opponent in s’Hertogenbosh on grass.
“He is someone that has had good results on clay, someone that can serve big as well. It was all sort played in the small details. I am really happy that I pulled through and gave myself such a good ending to my match”, said Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas set up a quarter final match against Taylor Fritz, who came back from one set down to beat Jir Lehecka 4-6 6-4 6-1. Lehecka converted his only break point in the third game to seal the first set 6-4.
Fritz earned his first break in the second game of the second set to take a 2-0 lead. Lehecka broke straight back in the third game and held on his serve to draw level to 2-2. Fritz converted his second break point in the 10th game to win the second set 6-4. Fritz broke twice in the second and sixth games to win the third set 6-1.
Holger Rune advanced to the quarter final via walkover after Matteo Berrettini withdrew before the match due to an injury problem.
“I don’t know where to start. I was finding my level and getting back to where I wanted to be. This is a difficult one. I am very sad to announce I will not be able to play my match today in Monte-Carlo. I felt some pain. In my obliques during my match yesterday. The pain became significantly worse overnight. After consulting with my medical team we decided to have a MRI this morning. I have a grade 2 tear in my internal oblique muscle. I can’t thank you all enough for the support. It means so much and is what gets me through these moments”, Berrettini wrote on Instagram.