Alex de Minaur guaranteed his best results at an ATP Masters 1000 event so far this year after his latest win in Monte-Carlo.
The Australian, who knocked out Cam Norrie in his opening match at the tournament, beat Alexander Blockx to book his place in the quarterfinals.
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De Minaur has struggled at Masters tournaments this year, having suffered early exits in both legs of the Sunshine Double.
He lost in the third round of the Indian Wells Open, and crashed out in his first match at the Miami Open.
In Monte-Carlo, however, De Minaur has enjoyed a promising start and has now achieved something not even Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner can match.
Alex de Minaur reaches Monte-Carlo quarterfinals again
With his triumph over Blockx, De Minaur has reached the quarterfinals at the Monte-Carlo Masters for the third consecutive year.
According to Opta Ace, the 27-year-old is the only player on the tour who has been able to do this.
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World number one Alcaraz won the tournament for the first time last year, but did not feature in 2024.
Sinner, on the other hand, made the semifinals in 2024, but missed out last season due to his three-month suspension from tennis.
Novak Djokovic, a two-time champion in Monte-Carlo, also made the semifinals in 2024, but crashed out in the second round in last year’s edition.
Alex De Minaur’s semifinal run in Monte-Carlo last year
De Minaur’s best result at the Monte-Carlo Masters came last season, when he made the semifinals of the clay-court event.
After receiving a bye, he beat Tomas Machac in the second round before dominating Daniil Medvedev in round three.
Then, De Minaur earned a completely flawless win over Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals, handing the Bulgarian a double bagel.
His run came to an end in the final four when pitted against Lorenzo Musetti, losing to the Italian after going a set up.
Musetti fell in the final against Alcaraz, with the Spaniard claiming a sixth Masters 1000 crown.
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