Alcaraz Advances to Monte Carlo Quarterfinals Amid Surprising Upsets

Carlos Alcaraz, a top-seed at the Monte Carlo Masters, advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Daniel Altmaier. Despite facing challenges, Alcaraz showed resilience. Meanwhile, unexpected upsets occurred with seeded players Casper Ruud and Jack Draper exiting the tournament. Alcaraz will face Arthur Fils next.

Carlos Alcaraz, the tournament's second seed, has made a successful entry into the Monte Carlo Masters quarterfinals, clinching a decisive victory against qualifier Daniel Altmaier with a score of 6-3, 6-1 on Thursday.

In a match that belied its scoreline, Alcaraz successfully thwarted nine out of ten break points, while converting five of the seven opportunities he had to break Altmaier's serve. "It was tough, Danny played great," commented Alcaraz, marking his first clay-court event this season.

Alcaraz is set to face Arthur Fils, who impressively overpowered reigning champion Andrey Rublev. Adding to the day's drama, upsets were recorded as fourth-seed Casper Ruud and fifth-seed Jack Draper both crashed out of the tournament, defeated by Alexei Popyrin and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, respectively.

(With inputs from agencies.)