Alcaraz reached 300 career wins in just 367 matches (300-67), matching the record of tennis legend John McEnroe. Only Rod Laver (300-55) and Jimmy Connors (300-63) achieved 300 victories faster.

Alcaraz started his quarterfinal match by breaking Bublik's serve, then had four chances to extend his lead to 3-0. In their first encounter, Bublik struggled against the power of the seven-time Grand Slam champion.

However, Alcaraz allowed his Kazakhstani opponent back into the match with two consecutive double faults, giving Bublik a 3-2 lead. The world number one then responded by winning 10 consecutive games.

Alcaraz during his quarterfinal match against Bublik at the Monte Carlo Masters, held on court Rainier III, Monte Carlo Country Club, Monaco on 10/4. Photo: *Reuters*

Bublik struggled with movement on the clay court and relied heavily on his first serve. As Bublik's first serve percentage dropped, the defending champion's class allowed Alcaraz to dominate. Bublik's double fault gave the Spaniard his fourth break and a sixth consecutive game win in the second set. This marked Alcaraz's 21st "bagel" (6-0 set victory) of his career.

“We played on the worst surface for me. Let’s see what happens on grass”, Bublik joked with Alcaraz, in a challenging manner as they shook hands at the net.

Last season's Monte Carlo Masters marked a turning point for Alcaraz's consistency. Since then, he has reached 14 semifinals in 16 tournaments. Despite this, the 22-year-old could still lose his world number one ranking, as Sinner is performing perfectly in Masters 1000 events, the second-highest tier in tennis after Grand Slams.

Sinner recently secured his 20th consecutive Masters-level victory, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4. In the history of the tour (since 1990), only the "Big Three" – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic – have achieved a similar milestone. If Sinner overcomes Alexander Zverev in the semifinals and wins the final, he will certainly reclaim the world number one spot.

In another quarterfinal match, Zverev defeated 19-year-old talent Joao Fonseca in their first ATP Tour meeting. The German player showed composure in the third set, winning 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 to reach his third consecutive Masters 1000 semifinal, having also advanced to this stage at Indian Wells and Miami last month.

By Vy Anh