QF Preview: Will Sinner Shine Against Musetti, Who Upset Djokovic?

All four Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-finals are poised to be thrillers.

Leading the way at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event is an all-Italian clash between Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, two 21-year-olds on the rise. Plenty of local Italian fans in attendance will make for a memorable atmosphere on Court Rainier III.

There will also be Top 10 showdowns between two-time defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and Taylor Fritz as well as Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune. Fifth seed Andrey Rublev will try to eliminate the resurgent Jan-Lennard Struff in a battle of powerful baseliners.

ATPTour.com previews each of the four matchups.

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[7] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. [16] Lorenzo Musetti (ITA)

All eyes were on a potential blockbuster showdown between World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and the in-form Italian Jannik Sinner in Monte-Carlo. Instead, Sinner will face countryman Lorenzo Musetti, who earned one of the biggest wins of his career Thursday against Djokovic.

Sinner showed good foresight — the seventh seed warned the media that the Djokovic-Musetti clash was not a foregone conclusion.

“I don’t want to talk so much because, as I mentioned, he has a very tough match today against Lorenzo,” Sinner said after he defeated Hubert Hurkacz. “He has improved a lot. You know, here is a lot of Italian crowd also.”

Sinner and Musetti are both 21-year-old Italians, but they are like fire and ice. Sinner is a ball-crushing machine, one of the biggest hitters on the ATP Tour who can take the racquet out of any opponent’s hand. Musetti is more of an artist on the court, painting masterpieces full of spin and angles, especially with his one-handed backhand.

Sinner, who won their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting two years ago in Antwerp on an indoor hard court, has been the more consistent player and is now 23-5 on the season. Musetti arrived in Monte-Carlo with a 6-8 record in 2023, but showed against Djokovic he is plenty capable of challenging and beating the best players in the world on his day.

“I kept believing in my team, in the hard work that we are doing every day, and I tried to adjust something,” Musetti said. “I think I worked pretty hard in the last month to achieve these results that they are showing up today. I’m really proud of my team and of my family that always supports me.”

[2] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. [8] Taylor Fritz (USA)

Will Taylor Fritz be the player who ends Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Monte-Carlo winning streak?

The Greek star has won 12 consecutive matches at the Monte-Carlo Country Club and claimed both of his Masters 1000 crowns at the tournament. During that stretch he has lost just one set. Tsitsipas also owns a 3-0 ATP Head2Head lead over his next opponent.

But Fritz is not the type of player to be deterred by the person across the net. The American is one of the toughest competitors on the circuit and he will try to dictate the action against the two-time defending champion.

Fritz will also carry confidence from victories against former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka and rapidly rising Czech Jiri Lehecka in Monaco. If the powerful players reach tie-breaks, Fritz is 13-2 in tie-breaks this season compared to 7-7 for Tsitsipas.

Watch Tsitsipas R3 Highlights:

[3] Daniil Medvedev vs. [6] Holger Rune (DEN)

Daniil Medvedev showed Thursday evening that despite what he says about disliking clay, he is certainly capable on the surface. The third seed won a three-hour, five-minute thriller against former World No. 2 Alexander Zverev in which he saved two match points.

But will the 27-year-old be able to recover quickly enough to tackle the challenge of facing reigning Rolex Paris Masters champion Holger Rune?

The Danish standout is the freshest player in the draw, having received a walkover from Matteo Berrettini (oblique) into the quarter-finals. Like he showed in the Paris-Bercy final against Djokovic, Rune is not afraid of the big occasion.

But will the 19-year-old be able to break down the Medvedev defensive wall on Court Rainier III? This will be the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting.

Watch Medvedev-Zverev R3 Highlights: 

[5] Andrey Rublev vs. [Q] Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)

If history is a good indicator, Andrey Rublev and Jan-Lennard Struff should be set for a cracker in the Principality. While they have not competed against one another since 2021 Roland Garros, they have split four previous tour-level clashes.

It will be a rough day for the balls in play during this match, as both players crush their baseline strokes. A key will be watching for which man is able to take the initiative first and step into the court.

Struff was World No. 167 earlier this year because of a 2022 injury, but the German is up to No. 64 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and can return to the Top 50 by making the semi-finals. He is also fresh off a straight-sets upset of fourth seed Casper Ruud.

Rublev, like Struff, is three victories from earning his first Masters 1000 title. The World No. 6 has happy memories on Court Rainier III, where he upset Rafael Nadal two years ago en route to the final.