The quarterfinals will take place on Friday in Monte Carlo.
In another week of turmoil on the ATP tour, only three of the top eight seeds have reached the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo. The highest seed remaining, Carlos Alcaraz, takes on surging Frenchman Arthur Fils. Three-time and defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas faces Olympic bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti. Eighth-seeded Alex de Minaur goes up against two-time Monte Carlo semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov. And in a battle between unseeded players, former finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina plays Montreal champion Alexei Popyrin.
Each day, this preview will analyze the most intriguing matchup, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Friday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Arthur Fils (12) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (2) – Second on Court Rainier III
This is only the second appearance for Alcaraz in Monte Carlo, as he usually makes a deep run in Miami, and then focuses on the clay court events in Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome. But after Carlitos lost his opening match in Miami, he arrived in Monte Carlo hungry for some wins. After dropping his first set this week to Francisco Cerundolo, he’s won his next four by decisive scores of 6-0, 6-1, 6-3, and 6-1. Alcaraz now looks to reach his second Masters semifinal of the year.
This is a third consecutive Masters quarterfinal for Fils, who had previously never reached this round at 1000 level. He’s now 14-6 on the year, and earned his second top 10 victory of the season on Thursday, in a 6-2, 6-3 win over former champion Andrey Rublev. However, Arthur is yet to win a Masters quarterfinal, after losing an extended battle at Indian Wells to Daniil Medvedev, and a straight-setter in Miami to eventual champion Jakub Mensik.
This is the first of likely many matches between the 21-year-old Spaniard and the 20-year-old Frenchman. They are two of the ATP’s most explosive hitters, so it will be fascinating to see how they match up. Fils has been the more consistent player across the past six weeks, with Alcaraz’s level fluctuating greatly from match-to-match, or even within the same match. But Carlitos’ top form is far superior to that of Arthur’s, and Alcaraz has looked sharp in his last four sets played this week. On the surface he grew up playing on most often, Carlitos should be favored on Friday.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Alexei Popyrin – Davidovich Fokina endured a grueling and emotional three-setter against Jack Draper on Thursday, bringing the Spaniard’s 2025 record to 17-8. Popyrin also required nearly three hours on Thursday, in upsetting fourth-seeded Casper Ruud, and coming from 5-3 down in the third. This is their first career meeting.
Grigor Dimitrov (15) vs. Alex de Minaur (8) – De Minaur comfortably dispatched of Daniil Medvedev in the last round, while Dimitrov won his second three-setter in as many days. Alex is 3-2 against Grigor, but this is their first encounter on clay.
Lorenzo Musetti (13) vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (6) – Tsitsipas dropped just two games on Thursday against Nuno Borges, as the Greek has now won 20 of his last 21 matches in Monte Carlo. Musetti beat fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini on Thursday in straight sets. Stefanos leads their head-to-head 5-0, which includes four victories on this surface.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
