Alexander Zverev defeated Zizou Bergs 6-2, 7-5 at the Monte Carlo Masters despite a mid-match foot injury. The German advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2022, where he will face João Fonseca. Fonseca reached his first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal by beating Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2.
Alexander Zverev took an early medical timeout at 1-0 in the first set against Zizou Bergs to treat his right foot on Court Rainier III. He limped during the match but recovered to win 6-2, 7-5, securing his spot in the quarterfinals. Zverev called it a better performance than his previous round, though not yet at his top level on clay in his first tournament of the season on the surface. 'I'm happy with the level today. We move forward,' he said after failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set but closing it strongly in the final two games. Zverev praised his next opponent, 19-year-old Brazilian João Fonseca. 'Clay is his best surface. He won Buenos Aires and has played well on the surface before,' Zverev said. 'He is a young upcoming talent, and I think we will play each other a lot more in the next couple of years.' Meanwhile, Fonseca dominated Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2 in 75 minutes on Court des Princes, winning 94% of his first-serve points in the opening set. He became the first Brazilian in a Masters 1000 quarterfinal since Thomaz Bellucci in 2011 and the youngest in Monte Carlo since Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet in 2005. Fonseca, now No. 35 in the live ATP rankings, said of the run, 'Super special, I was looking for this result for a long time. Of course, I want more.' The pair's quarterfinal marks Fonseca's latest milestone after titles in Buenos Aires and Basel last year.
