Jannik Sinner Sinks Alcaraz To Win Biggest Clay Title In Monte Carlo, Reclaims No.1 Spot
Jannik Sinner will return to world No.1 on Monday after becoming the third player in history to win a fourth consecutive Masters 1000 by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in Monte Carlo.
The 24-year-old four-time major champion overcame some blustery conditions to produce a 7-6(5), 6-3 win over his long-time rival, who had beaten him twice on the clay last year. It is the first time in Sinner’s career that he has won a Masters title on this surface, and it is only his second on the ATP Tour, following a 250 title in Umag four years ago. He is currently on a 17-match winning streak and has won 18 out of his last 19 matches against top 10 players.
“I don’t know where to start, honestly,” Sinner said during his on-court interview.
“We (his team) came here just trying to get as many matches as possible, having good feedback before other big tournaments coming up.”
During large chunks of the 135-minute final, there was patchy tennis from both players, who struggled with the windy conditions. In total, 83 unforced errors were produced, with Alcaraz committing more than half of them (45). However, Sinner believes there was still plenty of quality in the match.
“Today was a very high level from both of us,” he said.
“It was a bit windy, in completely different conditions than the tournament it has brought until today.
“But the result is amazing.”
The 17th instalment of the duo’s rivalry on the ATP Tour was an extremely tense encounter, with the opening set featuring a combined 24 unforced errors. 15 of those came off of Alcaraz’s racket. One explanation for the lackluster display was the blustery conditions in Monte Carlo, which weren’t so much of a factor earlier in the tournament.
Early on in the final, the two traded breaks before seeing opportunities come and go on both sides. At 5-4, Sinner had three chances to break for a chance to serve for the opening set but failed to do so.
Heading into the tiebreaker, there were still plenty of nerves with Alcaraz hitting a sub-standard drop shot that Sinner punished to grab a mini break. The Italian then elevated his service performance to nudge ahead to 6-4 before another twist unfolded. Sinner fired a serve down the middle that left his rival far behind the baseline, but ended up hitting the return ball into the net to lose his advantage. Then, on the next point, Alcaraz squandered his chance to level by hitting a double fault to hand Sinner the first set after 75 minutes of play.
In two out of their three previous meetings on clay, Sinner has been beaten by Alcaraz after clinching the opening set. The Spaniard appeared to be staging a comeback early on in the second frame when he broke to lead 2-1, 40-0, before producing an erratic sequence of costly mistakes that enabled Sinner to claw his way back. It was by no means a vintage performance from either player, but it was the Italian who had the edge.
Making his next move, Sinner fired a forehand winner before an Alcaraz error granted him a break and crucially the chance to serve for the title at 5-3. In the next game, a backhand error from the top seed moved him to two championship points before he sealed victory on his first opportunity.
“Getting back to number one means a lot to me,” said Sinner.
“I always say, the ranking is secondary. I’m very happy to win at least one big trophy on this surface. I haven’t done it before, so it means a lot to me.”
The triumph will end Alcaraz’s run of 22 consecutive weeks at the top of the ATP rankings. Overall, he has spent 66 weeks in the top spot, which is the 12th-longest reign in history.
“Jannik, it’s impressive what you’re achieving right now,” Alcaraz said during the trophy ceremony.
“Congratulations on your work and everything you are doing with your team.”
Sinner is currently on a 22-match winning run at Masters events after also winning titles in Paris last year, followed by Indian Wells, Miami and now Monte Carlo. Only Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have managed to win this number of tournaments consecutively since the series was introduced in 1990.
On Monday, Sinner will head the rankings with 13,350 points, followed by Alcaraz on 13,240 points.
