After both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz somewhat struggled through their third-round matches at the 2026 Monte-Carlo Masters, both looked brilliant in the quarterfinals. Sinner defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime, and then Alcaraz took care of Alexander Bublik.
The two players won't meet until the final, potentially, but each took another step forward in making tennis fans everywhere happy about the possibility. The battle for No. 1 is still in doubt, too.
Still, no one could have watched either player and assumed they would lose their semifinal matches. Alcaraz, especially, just overwhelmed Bublik in the first meeting between the players. Bublik has a huge serve, but doesn't necessarily move very well on clay. The matchup always seemed doomed for the Kazakhstani, even after making the first set closer than it appeared.
Carlos Alcaraz dominates Alexander Bublik in the 2026 Monte-Carlo Masters quarterfinals
By the second set, the question was no longer who would win the match but whether Bublik would win a game after set one. The frustrating part for him was likely not that he was playing poorly, but that he was physically unable to match an in-form Alcaraz.
In the first set, Carlos Alcaraz was actually broken once, but he was able to break the ATP No. 11 three times. This included the first game of the match when the Kazakhstani landed five of his six first serves and was still broken easily. This was the theme for what would follow.
Bublik even had 12 winners and 15 unforced errors, efficient tennis that would get a victory against most players. Carlos Alcaraz is not most players, though.
The answer about whether Alexander Bublik would win a game in the second set didn't take long to answer. He wouldn't. Alcaraz bageled the Kazakhstani. It certainly didn't help that Bublik dipped so much in form, either. He had two winners but 13 unforced errors in set two.
Alcaraz is inarguably the best ATP player on clay, and he is the defending champion at the Monte-Carlo Masters, too. That he has so many points to defend and Jannik Sinner has none, as the Italian missed three months in 2025 due to a suspension, has caused the race for No. 1 to tighten.
Next for Carlos Alcaraz is the winner of the Alex de Minaur and Valentin Vacherot match in the semifinals. Jannik Sinner will take on Alexander Zverev in the other semifinal match. Assuming Alcaraz and Sinner win those matches, they would face off in the final and battle for No. 1.