This Wednesday, April 8, was marked by an intense match between Joao Fonseca and Arthur Rinderknech at the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000. Also on the day’s agenda: the entry of Alexander Zverev, the humiliation of Daniil Medvedev, and the impressive performance of Zizou Bergs.
On the court of the princes at the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000, Brazilian prodigy Joao Fonseca and French number 1 Arthur Rinderknech engaged in a relentless battle.
The first set was hotly contested between the two men. The Brazilian took the lead by making the first break to go up 3-1, but his opponent quickly responded and drew level at 4-4. At 5-5, Fonseca managed to save two crucial break points. In the set’s decisive game, Rinderknech fought hard, saving a first set point before succumbing to an unfortunate double fault. Fonseca thus took the first set 7/5. There was no real domination in this first act: the Brazilian won only four more points than his opponent, who made slightly more unforced errors.
The beginning of the second set was just as intense. Right from the first game, Fonseca made his mark by winning a long service game of nearly 12 minutes, saving six break points. Despite this resilience, he then showed signs of nervousness in his service games and eventually conceded his serve at 2-3. On the other side, Rinderknech raised his level of play, being more offensive with 13 winning shots and an effective presence at the net. Solid until the end, the Frenchman logically claimed the second set 6/4.
In the third set, the battle remained uncertain. However, towards the end, Fonseca accelerated slightly. More aggressive and precise on return, he managed to put his opponent under pressure. The Brazilian finally won the match after more than 2 hours and 30 minutes of intense combat 7/5-4/6-6/3.
In the round of 16, Joao Fonseca will face Italian Matteo Berrettini.
Results from Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000
A ghostly Daniil Medvedev (27 unforced errors, 9 points won on his serve) was humiliated by Matteo Berrettini in under an hour (6/0-6/0).
World number 3 Alexander Zverev had a scare against Cristian Garin after losing the first set. Ultimately, he managed to overturn the Chilean (4/6-6/4-7/5) to qualify for the round of 16.
Brave and tenacious, Corentin Moutet hung on against Norwegian Casper Ruud but surrendered in two sets, 7/5-6/3.
Valentin Vacherot continues to shine at home. The Monegasque opened up the bracket significantly by eliminating fourth seed and last year’s finalist Lorenzo Musetti in two tightly contested sets 7/6-7/5. In the next round, he will face Polish player Hubert Hurkacz.
Meanwhile, Zizou Bergs defeated Andrey Rublev in two sets (6/4-6/1). Jiri Lehecka prevailed in 3 sets against Alejandro Tabilo (4/6-7/6-6/3). Tomas Machac eliminated Francisco Cerundolo after a match in two sets (7/6-6/3). Later, Félix Auger Aliassime ousted Marin Cilic (7/6-6/3). Tomas Martin Etcheverry won his match against Térence Atmane in three sets (3/6-6/3-6/2). Alexander Blockx claimed victory over Flavio Cobolli in two sets (6/3-6/3). Finally, Hubert Hurkacz qualified for the 1/8th round by defeating Fabian Marozsan in two sets (6/2-6/3).
Matches to follow on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000
On the program of the Monegasque tournament this Thursday, all the matches of the round of 16, featuring Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Alex De Minaur, Alexander Bublik, as well as the match with infinite possibilities between Matteo Berrettini and Joao Fonseca.
