Sinner into last eight after 37-set record snapped
Jannik Sinner has yet to claim a clay-court Masters 1000 title.
Jannik Sinner dropped a set at an ATP Masters event for the first time in 186 days but secured a place in the Monte Carlo quarter-finals by defeating Tomas Machac.
The Italian had won the last three Masters 1000 titles—Paris, Indian Wells, and Miami—without losing a single set.
However, his streak of 37 consecutive sets won was broken when he lost control in the second set, allowing Czech player Machac to win the tie-break.
This marked the first time Sinner had dropped a set at this level since the Shanghai Masters in October, where he retired injured against Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor.
Sinner regained his composure in Monaco, closing out the match with a 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 victory, marking his 19th consecutive win at a Masters tournament.
The second seed, who has never won a clay-court Masters 1000 title, will face Canadian sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals.
If Sinner wins the Monte Carlo tournament, he will replace Carlos Alcaraz as world number one when the rankings update on Monday.
He has no ranking points to defend until the Italian Open in early May, as he was serving a three-month suspension this time last year for failing two doping tests.
Sabalenka withdraws from Stuttgart
Meanwhile, women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka has withdrawn from the Stuttgart Open due to injury.
"I'm very sad to say that I won't be able to play the Porsche Tennis Gran Prix this year," she posted on Instagram.
"Unfortunately I suffered an injury after Miami, and even though I tried everything to recover in time, I'm not ready to compete."
Sabalenka became just the fifth female player to win the 'Sunshine Double' last month by winning Indian Wells followed by Miami.
The Belarusian, who has been runner-up four times in Stuttgart, will be replaced by Poland's Magdalena Frech at the tournament, which begins on Monday.
