Alcaraz Eases into First Match with Rising Star Fils

Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals for the first time on April 10 with a straight-set victory over Germany's Daniel Altmaier.

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MONTE CARLO – Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals for the first time on April 10 with a straight-set victory over Germany's Daniel Altmaier.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz brushed aside the 84th-ranked Altmaier 6-3, 6-1 to set up a last-eight clash with rising French star Arthur Fils on April 11.

Alcaraz took some time to find his rhythm as Altmaier broke him back to level at 3-3 in the first set, but it was one-way traffic from then on.

The second seed reeled off three straight games to take the first set before racing through the second in just over 30 minutes.

The 21-year-old, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, is the favourite to lift the title this weekend after early exits for top seed Alexander Zverev and veteran Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz was beaten in his first match on his only previous appearance at the tournament in 2022.

Fils eased into his third successive Masters quarter-finals this season with an impressive 6-2, 6-3 win over 2023 champion Andrey Rublev of Russia.