For 186 days and across three continents, Jannik Sinner was untouchable at the Masters 1000 level. Thirty-seven consecutive sets won. Not a single dropped stanza since last October in Paris. On Thursday afternoon in Monaco, it took a dogged Tomas Machac to finally break that spell, but not Sinner’s resolve.
The Court Rainier III crowd arrived expecting another brisk exhibition from the world number two. Sinner had been ruthless all week, picking up right where he left off after dominating Indian Wells and Miami without dropping a set. Machac, ranked 53rd and considered an outsider on clay, seemed unlikely to trouble the Italian juggernaut.
The opening set did little to challenge that narrative. Sinner was clinical from the baseline, breaking early and sweeping through 6-1 with the kind of crisp precision that has defined his rise. Five aces flew off his racquet, and he won nearly three-quarters of his first serve points. The streak, already the longest in Masters history after surpassing Novak Djokovic’s mark of 24, seemed destined to grow.
But then everything changed.
Sinner’s energy ebbed away midway through the second set. He admitted afterward, “I was struggling a little bit. I was a bit tired. The most important thing today was to try and get through somehow.” His serve faltered for the first time in months. Machac sensed opportunity, breaking at 2-2 and again at 4-2 to leap ahead 5-2. Yet nerves crept in for the Czech. Twice he served for the set, twice Sinner broke back to level at five games apiece.
Still, Sinner could not turn the tide entirely. In the tiebreaker, Machac played with abandon and accuracy, claiming it 7-3 as a stunned hush fell over Monte Carlo. In that moment, one of tennis’s most remarkable runs came to an end. After 186 days and 37 straight sets won at Masters events, Sinner had finally surrendered a set.
“Not every day is the same,” Sinner reflected post-match. “In the second set I struggled a bit with trying to find the right energy… Even when you don’t feel your best, you try to find ways.”
The decider became a test of will rather than shotmaking alone. Gone were thoughts of records; in their place was a gritty contest for survival. Where Machac had flailed for lines in the second set, he now found only frustration as errors began creeping back into his game.
Sinner steadied himself, a champion’s trait, raising his level just enough to avoid further drama. He broke twice more and closed out the contest 6-3 after just over two hours on court.
The numbers told their own story. Sinner converted seven of eleven break points and racked up 92 total points to Machac’s 72. Yet beneath those statistics lay visible vulnerability, a rarity for the Italian this season.
While his historic streak is now over, Sinner’s run of match victories at Masters events stands at nineteen straight. He marches on into the Monte Carlo quarterfinals, where Felix Auger-Aliassime awaits—a player who has quietly reached the last eight at all nine Masters tournaments but had never before made such an impact on Monaco’s red clay.
As for Sinner’s immediate future, recovery will be paramount after this draining escape. “The main priority is to recover,” he said pointedly after leaving court.
Monte Carlo has already delivered its drama by ending one of modern tennis’ most impressive streaks. If Thursday proved anything, it is that Jannik Sinner remains dangerous even when pushed beyond his limits.
His quest for another title continues, and with it, perhaps, the start of another streak.
