Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner progress to Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals with wins over Alexander Bublik and Felix Auger-Aliassime
By Sanjay Suri
Published 10/04/2026 at 19:36 GMT+1
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Carlos Alcaraz produced a dominant second-set display to progress to the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters and keep the battle to stay at the top of the ATP rankings alive. Jannik Sinner extended his winning run at Masters 1000 tournaments to 20 matches with a straight-sets win over Felix Auger Aliassime. Watch every match of next month's French Open live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
‘It’s a step forward’ - Sinner ‘very happy’ after Auger-Aliassime victory in Monte Carlo
Video credit: SNTV
Carlos Alcaraz’s battle to keep hold of the World No. 1 spot continues to heat up after he and Jannik Sinner cruised into the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals in straight sets.
Alcaraz won 10 straight games to finish off a 6-3 6-0 thrashing of French Open quarter-finalist Alexander Bublik to set up a last-four clash with home favourite Valentin Vacherot.
Sinner, meanwhile, breezed past sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 6-4 and will play World No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the semis.
Sinner is set to regain the No. 1 spot if he at least matches Alcaraz’s performance in Monaco as the clay-court season gets into full swing prior to the French Open, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
Despite breaking in the first game, Alcaraz lost his rhythm as he failed to convert three break points to take a 3-0 lead before Bublik broke back in the next game to level the scores.
However, Alcaraz won the final three games on the spin, including two against serve, before ‘bagelling’ Bublik in the second set to win in just 63 minutes, his 300th victory on the ATP Tour.
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Jannik Sinner is looking to reclaim top spot in the rankings.
Image credit: Getty Images
The Spaniard, who won the tournament last year, has established himself as a specialist on clay and is looking to become just the third person to win the French Open three times in a row since it became a Grand Slam event in 1925.
He said: ”I lost the feeling of the ball a little bit but after that I think he just pulled off great shots that I just had to run from side to side a lot.
”I just saved a few games and that gave me a lot of confidence coming into the match again and then playing aggressive and all that.
”I just played a great and solid match against him. He is an erratic player that you just don’t know what’s going to be next but just happy to get through.”
‘Very happy’ Sinner still getting used to the movement on clay
Sinner endured a suboptimal run-up to last year’s French Open owing to his three-month ban, with his home appearance at the Italian Open the only clay tournament he participated in.
However, he has looked assured at Monte Carlo thus far, even though his record 37 consecutive set win streak came to an end in a 6-1 6-7 6-3 win over Tomas Machac.
Sinner broke in the sixth game of his quarter-final after squandering two chances early on and managed to hold serve with ease to take the first set as Auger-Aliassime failed to even set up a break point.
The Canadian could not take the one chance on offer midway through the second set and, after breaking to make it 4-3, Sinner did not look back.
He said: ”I’m trying to get used to the sliding, the movement and also the way to play. It’s a little bit different but we have good feedback and we work on that after this tournament.
”We see certain things that work well, certain things we need to improve but I am very happy about this first tournament here.”
How can Sinner regain No. 1 spot?
Sinner will return to the top of the rankings if he matches or betters Alcaraz’s performance at Monte Carlo.
The Italian is currently on a 20-match winning streak at Masters 1000 tournaments, seventh on the all-time list, having recently completed the ‘Sunshine Double’ at Indian Wells and Miami.
He last held top spot in November but just for a week, having been World No.1 for 65 weeks in 2024 and 2025.
Sinner remains well-placed to keep hold of the spot before the French Open in May because he has no ranking points to defend until the Italian Open.
Although he got to the final in Rome, he was ultimately beaten by Alcaraz so has fewer points on the line in the next six weeks.
TNT Sports is the exclusive French Open broadcaster in the UK and Ireland. Coverage of every court will be available to watch live on HBO Max.
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