Mar 15, 2025; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) reacts after winning a point but was defeated by Jack Draper (not pictured) in three sets during his semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Well Tennis Garden.

tennis

Carlos Alcaraz Cruises Into Monte Carlo Masters 2025 Quarterfinal After Daniel Altmaier Rout

Roland Garros champ to face Arthur Fils in the QF.

Four-time major winner and defending Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz staked his claim for the Monte Carlo Masters 2025 title after dismissing Daniel Altmaier in the Round of 16. Alcaraz, the highest ranked player left in the draw, needed 1 hour 26 minutes to beat the German. He will now face the in-form Arthur Fils in the last eight stage on Friday.

Stepping onto Court Rainier III with the demeanour of a man on a mission to take on Altmaier, ‘Carlitos’ proved why he is still one of the world’s best players. With a lot of questions raised about his coaching team over the recent past, American tennis legend Andy Roddick came in support of Juan Carlos Ferrero and co. He firmly asserted that “anyone calling for a coaching change doesn’t know anything about coaching.”

Alcaraz achieved the feat of playing 100 tour-level matches on clay, when he faced off against Francisco Cerúndolo on Wednesday. “I’m very happy to be here,” said Alcaraz upon returning to the Principality. “It’s a tournament that I’ve only played once and I want to play great.”

Carlos Alcaraz Oozes Class in Monte Carlo R16 Domination

The match started on even terms, with Altmaier holding in his opening service game. As the encounter went on however, the Spaniard showed that he is a level above most of the playing field – as the commentator pointed out, he produced the “best point you’ve seen all year” which included a tweener lob and backhand winner. Despite not being at his best, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon titleist grabbed the opener 6-3.

One cannot say that Altmaier didn’t have his chances. The German had a total of 10 break points, 9 of which were saved by the Spanish superhero. On a night when Alcaraz hit twice as many unforced errors compared to winners, Altmaier’s miserly 5 winners just weren’t enough. Alcaraz moved into the quarterfinal stage, and reached his 16th Masters-1000 QF in the process.

Alcaraz “Really Happy” to Be Back on Clay

Speaking after the match, Alcaraz divulged his happiness after returning to the red dirt. “I’m just really happy to be on clay again. It has been a really good season so far. Probably struggling a little bit in the last one, but coming on clay – which is a surface I love playing on and grew up playing on – it’s great to feel it again.” The former World No. 1 also looked forward to his match against Fils.

“It’s going to be difficult against Arthur Fils, who is playing great tennis lately. He’s having a great season so far. So it’s going to be an interesting match, I think it’s the first time I’m going to play him.” Earlier during his match, Netflix released the official trailer to Alcaraz’s upcoming docu-series ‘Carlos Alcaraz: My Way’, which talks about his desire to become the greatest player in history and finding the motivation to maintain that dream.

He's 21 years old and he wants to be the greatest tennis player in history.

Carlos Alcaraz: My Way premieres April 23. pic.twitter.com/m1h68jeHsM
— Netflix (@netflix) April 10, 2025

Quarterfinal action at the Monte Carlo Masters 2025 is set for Friday, while the grand final will be played on Sunday.

Arthur Fils

ATP

ATP Masters 1000

Carlos Alcaraz

Daniel Altmaier

Monte Carlo Masters

Netflix

Tennis

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.