Imperious this Sunday on the Monegasque clay, the Italian dominated the Spaniard, who ceded his title and his throne.
Unstoppable Jannik Sinner. This Sunday in Monte-Carlo, the Italian won a fourth consecutive Masters 1000 by defeating his rival Carlos Alcaraz, beaten in two sets (6-7(5), 3-6). The title holder in the Principality, the Spaniard at the same time cedes the position of world number one to Jannik Sinner, who has been irresistibly strong for several weeks.
For their 17th career confrontation, the first in 2026, Carlos Alcaraz was the favorite, facing an opponent who had only won one title on clay until then, in 2022 (ATP 250 in Umag), and who had lost his three major finals (Grand Slam and Masters 1000) played on this surface.
Jannik Sinner tense in the first set
The beginning of the match did not contradict this statistic. The Italian was extremely tense, unlike Carlos Alcaraz who was well in the match, despite difficult windy conditions. The world number one immediately broke his 24-year-old opponent, who took some time to get started.
Eventually, the Italian gradually recovered and managed to immediately recover his break of delay. He then felt very comfortable on his serve, despite a very low first serve percentage at the start of the match (53% in the first set). And he was able to put pressure on his 22-year-old opponent, who faltered, but never cracked (8 out of 11 break points saved).
Therefore, it was logically in the tie-break that this first set was decided. But the tie-break was dominated by the Italian, who didn’t hesitate to conclude the first set, after 1h15 of play, taking advantage of a huge double fault from his opponent, who seemed shaken.
This time, Jannik Sinner did not crack
One set away from a first defeat in a final on clay since the Barcelona tournament last year, Carlos Alcaraz managed to regain the upper hand at the beginning of the second set, thanks to a superb passing shot that gave him a break – like in the first set – which he managed to hold onto this time.
But like in the first set, Jannik Sinner showed that it is perhaps when his back is against the wall that he is most dangerous. Physically rejuvenated after a small slump, the Italian leveled the score, before breaking at the best of times, to serve for the match. Just like at Roland Garros last year…
But the 24-year-old player showed that he has learned from that painful experience. Very composed, the Italian finally triumphed on his first match point to win his most prestigious trophy on clay, with a first Masters 1000 on this surface. He wins his seventh different tournament (out of nine) in this tournament category. The two missing ones? Madrid and Rome, also on clay. It’s convenient, as those are the two upcoming tournaments for Jannik Sinner, who will regain his position on the throne, and whose appetite is never satisfied…
