Monaco's Valentin Vacherot defeats Alex de Minaur to reach Monte Carlo Masters semifinals

Valentin Vacherot falls to his knees in celebration after saving match points to beat Alex de Minaur.

Valentin Vacherot overcame Alex de Minaur 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Friday.

The 27-year-old Monegasque right-hander saved 13 break points during the 2-hour-24-minute battle on Court Rainier III. Vacherot rallied after dropping the second set to secure his place in the semifinals against either Jannik Sinner or Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Vacherot reached the last eight with a prior win over Hubert Hurkacz, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4. That result made him the first player from Monaco to advance to the Monte Carlo quarterfinals in the Open era.

De Minaur, seeded fifth, struck back in the second set but faltered in the decider. The Australian fifth seed converted just three of 16 break point chances against Vacherot's resilient serving.

Vacherot, ranked 23rd, entered the week after capturing his first ATP title in Shanghai last October. He stunned Novak Djokovic en route to beating cousin Arthur Rinderknech in that final.

This run elevates Vacherot's 2026 record to 15-4 on clay. He holds a 5-1 mark at Monte Carlo across three appearances.

The semifinal berth guarantees Vacherot a career-high ranking next week. Local fans packed Court Rainier III for the home hero's deepest run at his national Masters 1000 event.

Vacherot converted four of eight break points on de Minaur's serve. He fired six aces and won 80 percent of first-serve points.

De Minaur tallied 32 winners to Vacherot's 28 but committed 42 unforced errors to his opponent's 35. The Australian fifth seed departs after reaching the Indian Wells final last month.

Sinner, the second seed, dispatched Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4 in the opposite quarterfinal. The Italian extends his Masters 1000 win streak to 20 matches.

Zverev eliminated Joao Fonseca 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 6-3. Alcaraz dispatched Alexander Bublik 7-6(6), 6-3.

Vacherot faces the Sinner-Auger-Aliassime winner on Saturday. The final four matches cap the tournament on Sunday