Carlos Alcaraz eased into the Monte Carlo Masters quarterfinals for the first time on Thursday with a straight-sets win over Daniel Altmaier, while British fifth seed Jack Draper was dumped out by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz brushed aside 84th-ranked German Altmaier 6-3, 6-1 to set up a last-eight clash with rising French star Arthur Fils on Friday.
The 21-year-old, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, is the favourite to lift the title this weekend after early exits for top seed Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz was beaten in his first match on his only previous appearance at the tournament in 2022.
Fils made it into his third successive Masters quarter-final this season with an impressive 6-2, 6-3 thrashing of 2023 champion Andrey Rublev.
The 20-year-old Fils is also aiming to reach the semis of a Masters event for the first time, after losing in the last eight at both Indian Wells and the Miami Open this year.