Monte-Carlo Masters 2026: Jannik Sinner fends off Tomas Machac comeback to reach quarter-finals

Jannik Sinner survived a scare to make it through his round of 16 match at the 2026 Monte-Carlo Masters.

The second seed prevailed in three sets against Olympic tennis mixed doubles gold medallist Tomáš Macháč with a 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-3 win on Thursday (9 April).

Sinner may not have anticipated such an uphill battle to reach the Monte-Carlo quarter-finals, having stormed to the first set in 26 minutes. It would take a total of two hours to convert match point, though, after a spirited resurgence from the Czech.

“I was struggling a little bit,” he said (via the ATP Tour). “I was a bit tired; I hope that I can recover as much as I can for tomorrow. I try to do the best I can every match I play. The most important thing today was to try to get through somehow. I can play great tennis tomorrow - I try to perform in the best possible way and today is a positive.”

After a dominant opening set from the world No. 2, Sinner was up against the wall and starting to feel the heat under the French Riviera sun. Meanwhile, his unseeded opponent was determined not to fold without a fight in the Principality.

Macháč almost conceded his chance of taking the second set off Sinner, and after he was pegged back from 5-2 to 6-6, he was not going to miss the opportunity in the tiebreak. The Czech drew enough forced errors to claim it 7-3 and trigger a decider.

World No. 53 Macháč was still in contention in the final set until he felt something in his shoulder while serving, taking a medical timeout at 3-2 down. Sinner capitalised and piled the pressure on to hold on for the victory and his spot in the final eight.

Second seed Sinner will meet Canada’s Félix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals on Friday (10 April), in what will be a first meeting of the year between the pair. The Italian won all four of their meetings last season and will go for a fifth in a row in Monaco.

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