<st UPDATE (10 April): The draw has played out with extraordinary drama. Nine seeds are out, including three-time champion Tsitsipas…
Monte Carlo Masters 2026 Draw | Full Bracket, Seedings & Quarter-by-Quarter Analysis
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UPDATE (10 April): The draw has played out with extraordinary drama. Nine seeds are out, including three-time champion Tsitsipas (R1), Medvedev (double bageled by Berrettini), Musetti [4], Rublev [13] and Ruud [9]. The quarter-finals are set: Alcaraz vs Bublik, De Minaur vs Vacherot, Fonseca vs Zverev, Sinner vs FAA. For full results see our results tracker and QF preview.
rong>The 2026 Monte Carlo Masters draw has been released, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and world No 2 Jannik Sinner on opposite sides of a 56-player bracket that sets up a potential blockbuster final at the Monte-Carlo Country Club on 12 April.
Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the event, opening up the bottom half of the draw and handing Sinner a favourable path through Zverev’s quarter to the final. Meanwhile, three-time champion Stefanos Tsitsipas is unseeded and faces 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo in a brutal first-round assignment. For live results and daily recaps, follow our Monte Carlo 2026 results tracker. The quarter-finals are set — see our final report: Sinner wins the title. For full tournament context, entry list and how to watch, see our Monte Carlo Masters 2026 preview.
Monte Carlo Masters 2026 Seeds
| Seed | Player | Ranking | Half |
| 1 | Carlos Alcaraz | 1 | Top |
| 2 | Jannik Sinner | 2 | Bottom |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | 3 | Bottom |
| 4 | Lorenzo Musetti | 14 | Top |
| 5 | Alex de Minaur | 8 | Top |
| 6 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | 16 | Bottom |
| 7 | Daniil Medvedev | 5 | Bottom |
| 8 | Alexander Bublik | 10 | Top |
| 9 | Casper Ruud | 6 | Top |
| 10 | Flavio Cobolli | 32 | Bottom |
| 11 | Jiri Lehecka | 24 | Top |
| 12 | Karen Khachanov | 21 | Bottom |
| 13 | Andrey Rublev | 9 | Bottom |
| 14 | Frances Tiafoe | 17 | Top |
| 15 | Luciano Darderi | 44 | Bottom |
| 16 | Francisco Cerundolo | 26 | Top |
The top eight seeds receive first-round byes and enter the draw in the second round. Notable absentees include Novak Djokovic (withdrawn), Taylor Fritz and Jack Draper.
Notable First-Round Matches
| Match | Winner Faces | Why It Matters |
| Stan Wawrinka vs Sebastian Baez | [1] Alcaraz | Wawrinka’s farewell Monte Carlo appearance. Three-time Grand Slam champion vs dangerous clay specialist |
| Francisco Cerundolo [16] vs Stefanos Tsitsipas | [4] Musetti or [5] De Minaur section | Three-time champion Tsitsipas unseeded and drawn against a seed in R1. One of the best first-round matches on tour this year |
| Ugo Humbert vs Moise Kouame (WC) | [2] Sinner | French wildcard Kouame could set up a tricky R2 for Sinner. Humbert is a top-20 talent on his day |
| Tallon Griekspoor vs Gael Monfils (WC) | [8] Bublik section | Fan favourite Monfils returns to Monte Carlo. Griekspoor’s power game makes this unpredictable |
| Joao Fonseca vs Gabriel Diallo | [2] Sinner section | Fonseca’s Monte Carlo debut. The Brazilian teenager’s clay game is less proven but his talent is undeniable |
| Matteo Berrettini vs Qualifier | [7] Medvedev | Former Wimbledon finalist making his way back. A potential second-round blockbuster with Medvedev |
| Cameron Norrie vs Miomir Kecmanovic | [5] De Minaur | Two solid clay courters battling for a shot at De Minaur in R2 |
| Andrey Rublev [13] vs Nuno Borges | [3] Zverev section | 2023 champion Rublev with new coach Marat Safin. Borges is a tough opening test |
| Jakub Mensik vs Fabian Marozsan | [4] Musetti section | Mensik fresh from beating Djokovic in the Miami final. Clay is less natural for him but confidence is sky-high |
Top Half: Alcaraz’s Road to the Final
Quarter 1: Alcaraz, Bublik, Lehecka, Tiafoe
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz begins his title defence against the winner of Baez vs Wawrinka in the second round. Wawrinka is playing his final Monte Carlo, which adds a sentimental narrative, but the 41-year-old Swiss is ranked outside the top 150 and Baez is the more likely opponent. Neither should trouble Alcaraz on clay.
The round of 16 is where the draw gets interesting. Grigor Dimitrov, Frances Tiafoe [14] and Federico Etcheverry are all in this section. Dimitrov, a former top-three player with a strong clay record, could provide the first genuine test. In the quarter-finals, eighth seed Alexander Bublik or 11th seed Jiri Lehecka would await. Bublik’s unpredictable game is tailor-made for upsets on clay, while Lehecka’s powerful all-court game could pose problems.
Overall, this is a manageable quarter for Alcaraz. He should reach the semi-finals without facing a player ranked inside the top 8.
Quarter 2: Musetti, De Minaur, Ruud, Cerundolo
This is the most loaded quarter in the draw, largely because of who landed in it as an unseeded player. Stefanos Tsitsipas, the three-time Monte Carlo champion with a 24-4 career record at this venue, opens against 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo. Whoever wins that blockbuster R1 clash enters a section containing fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti, fifth seed Alex de Minaur, ninth seed Casper Ruud and Jakub Mensik.
Musetti was last year’s Monte Carlo finalist, losing to Alcaraz, and is the most natural clay-court player in this section. De Minaur has improved dramatically on clay but his record at altitude events remains thin. Ruud, the 2024 runner-up, is always dangerous here but has been inconsistent in 2026.
The key question: can Tsitsipas navigate Cerundolo and then potentially Musetti to reach the semi-finals? If he does, Alcaraz faces the one opponent with a proven ability to challenge him at this venue. See our Monte Carlo betting tips for our analysis of the Tsitsipas value angle.
Bottom Half: Sinner’s Path
Quarter 3: Zverev, FAA, Rublev, Cobolli
Alexander Zverev [3] opens against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or a qualifier in round two. The tall Frenchman’s serve-dominated game is less effective on clay, giving Zverev a comfortable opening assignment. But the quarter gets harder quickly: 2023 champion Andrey Rublev [13] lurks in the round of 16, and sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime could be the quarter-final opponent.
Rublev, working with new coach Marat Safin, won this title two years ago and his aggressive baseline game suits the Monte-Carlo conditions. A Zverev-Rublev quarter-final would be a standout match. Monte Carlo has historically been Zverev’s weakest clay Masters, with just two semi-finals in eight previous appearances. The slower, windier conditions on the Riviera do not suit his flat ball-striking as well as Madrid’s altitude or Rome’s faster clay.
Quarter 4: Sinner, Medvedev, Khachanov, Darderi
Jannik Sinner has the most favourable draw of any top seed. The world No 2 opens against the winner of Humbert vs Kouame in round two. Humbert is a top-20 talent who could make it competitive, but Sinner’s hard-court form in 2026 has been exceptional, winning the Sunshine Double at Indian Wells and Miami without dropping a set.
The biggest test in Sinner’s quarter is Daniil Medvedev [7], who could face Matteo Berrettini in round two before a potential quarter-final clash with Sinner. Medvedev’s 2021 Monte Carlo semi-final run showed he can compete on this surface, but clay remains his weakest surface by a considerable margin. Karen Khachanov [12] is the other seed in this section but is unlikely to trouble the top two.
With Djokovic’s withdrawal removing the most dangerous floater from the bottom half, Sinner’s path to the final is arguably the most straightforward of any top seed at a Masters 1000 this year.
How the Draw Actually Played Out
Our pre-tournament analysis identified the key storylines correctly, but the scale of upsets exceeded anything we projected. Here is how our quarter-by-quarter predictions compared to reality.
| Section | What We Predicted | What Happened |
| Q1 (Alcaraz) | Manageable quarter, Dimitrov the R16 test, Bublik/Lehecka in QF | Dimitrov out R1 (lost to Etcheverry). Alcaraz cruised to QF. Bublik beat Lehecka to set up the QF clash we projected |
| Q2 (Loaded) | “Most loaded quarter” — Tsitsipas, Musetti, De Minaur, Ruud, Mensik | Tsitsipas out R1, Musetti out R32 (lost to WC Vacherot), Ruud retired in R16. De Minaur is the only projected contender left, facing Vacherot in QF |
| Q3 (Zverev) | Zverev’s weakest clay Masters. Rublev/FAA dangerous | Rublev destroyed 6-4, 6-1 by Bergs. Zverev scraped past Garin in R32 but improved. Now faces Fonseca — the teenager nobody predicted would be here |
| Q4 (Sinner) | “Most favourable draw.” Medvedev the biggest test in QF | Medvedev bageled 6-0, 6-0 by Berrettini in R32. Sinner through comfortably, faces FAA in QF instead |
| Players to Watch | Tsitsipas (best bet), Fonseca (debut), Mensik | Tsitsipas out R1. Fonseca the breakout star — beat Berrettini, into QF vs Zverev. Mensik lost R1 to Marozsan |
The projected Alcaraz vs Sinner final remains on track, but the paths have changed dramatically. For full analysis of Friday’s quarter-finals, see our final report: Sinner wins the title.
Projected Semi-Finals and Final
| Stage | Projected Match | Key Factor |
| SF 1 (Top Half) | Alcaraz vs Musetti/Tsitsipas | If Tsitsipas beats Cerundolo and navigates the loaded Q2, he could meet Alcaraz in a repeat of the 2025 final |
| SF 2 (Bottom Half) | Sinner vs Zverev | First meeting on clay between the top two active hard-court players. Zverev must beat Rublev/FAA to get here |
| Final | Alcaraz vs Sinner | The draw is designed for the world’s top two to meet in Sunday’s final. See our Alcaraz vs Sinner H2H for their full rivalry record |
Alcaraz defends 1,000 points from last year’s title. Anything less than a final would open the door for Sinner to close the rankings gap heading into the French Open. The pressure is asymmetric: Alcaraz has everything to lose, while Sinner has nothing to defend on clay and everything to gain.
Three Players to Watch
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Unseeded)
The most dangerous unseeded player at any tournament this year. Three Monte Carlo titles (2021, 2022, 2024) and a 24-4 career record here speak for themselves. His heavy topspin game thrives in the altitude and slower clay conditions at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Drawing Cerundolo [16] in round one is brutal, but if Tsitsipas survives that, the remaining field should fear him. At 5/1 for the outright, he is our best bet for the tournament.
Joao Fonseca (Monte Carlo Debut)
The 18-year-old Brazilian makes his Monte Carlo debut against Gabriel Diallo. Fonseca’s ball-striking has drawn comparisons to a young Alcaraz, but his clay-court credentials are less established than his hard-court brilliance. A win over Diallo would likely set up a round-two clash in Sinner’s section. Worth monitoring in individual match markets.
Jakub Mensik
Fresh from beating Djokovic in the Miami final, the 19-year-old Czech faces Fabian Marozsan in round one. Mensik’s powerful game generates plenty of winners but clay demands patience he does not always show. Drawn in the loaded Quarter 2 alongside Musetti and De Minaur, a deep run would be a surprise, but his confidence is at an all-time high.
How to Watch the Monte Carlo Masters 2026
The simplest way to watch Monte Carlo live is through the Bet365 live streaming service. Bet365 offers live coverage of ATP matches to account holders with a funded account or who have placed a bet in the last 24 hours.
Sky Sports Tennis and NOW TV also broadcast the tournament live in the UK. For the full broadcast schedule, see our Monte Carlo 2026 live stream and TV guide. Read the story behind the battle for Monte Carlo’s clay crown for background on the post-Nadal era at this event.
18+ | Please Gamble Responsibly | Odds approximate at time of writing, check Bet365 for latest prices
FAQs
When is the Monte Carlo Masters 2026 draw?
The draw was made on Friday 4 April 2026. Main draw play begins on Saturday 5 April with the final on Sunday 12 April.
Who are the top seeds at Monte Carlo 2026?
Carlos Alcaraz is the top seed and defending champion. Jannik Sinner is seeded second, Alexander Zverev third, and Lorenzo Musetti fourth.
Is Novak Djokovic playing Monte Carlo 2026?
No. Djokovic has withdrawn from the tournament. His absence opens up the bottom half of the draw, particularly benefiting second seed Jannik Sinner.
Where is Stefanos Tsitsipas seeded?
Tsitsipas is unseeded despite being a three-time champion. He faces 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo in the first round, making his section of the draw one of the most compelling at the tournament.
What is the surface at Monte Carlo?
The Monte Carlo Masters is played on outdoor clay at the Monte-Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France. It is the first Masters 1000 event on clay each season.
