Tennis: Sinner triumphs in Monte

Imperial this Sunday on the clay court in Monaco, the Italian dominated the Spaniard, who conceded 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 defending champion in the Principality, the Spaniard also concedes the world number one spot to Jannik Sinner, who has been irresistible for several weeks.

For their 17th career encounter, the first in 2026, Carlos Alcaraz was the favorite against an opponent who had only won one title on clay court until then, in 2022 (ATP 250 Umag), and had lost all three major finals (Grand Slam and Masters 1000) played on this surface.

Jannik Sinner tense in the first set

The start of the match did not contradict this statistic. The Italian appeared extremely tense, unlike a focused Carlos Alcaraz who coped well with difficult windy conditions. The world number one broke his 24-year-old opponent at the beginning, who took time to get going.

Eventually, the Italian gradually regained composure and immediately recovered his break of serve deficit. He then felt very comfortable on his service games, despite a very low first serve percentage at the start of the match (53% in the first set). He was able to put pressure on his 22-year-old opponent, who faltered but never cracked (8 saved break points out of 11 attempts).

So, it was in the tie-break, quite logically, that the first set was played out. But the tiebreak was dominated by the Italian, who easily closed out the first set, after 1 hour and 15 minutes, taking advantage of a big double fault from his opponent, who seemed rattled.

This time, Jannik Sinner did not crack

One set away from a first defeat in a final on clay court since the Barcelona tournament last year, Carlos Alcaraz managed to regain momentum at the beginning of the second set, thanks to a splendid passing shot that earned him an early break – like in the first set – which he managed to hold this time.

But just like in the first set, Jannik Sinner showed that perhaps it is when he is with his back against the wall that he is most dangerous. Physically rejuvenated after a slight dip, the Italian returned, leveled the score, and then broke at the crucial moment 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 eventually triumphed on his first match point to win his most prestigious trophy on clay court, with his first Masters 1000 on this surface. He now has won seven different tournaments (out of nine) in this tournament category. The missing ones? Madrid and Rome, also on clay court. That’s good timing, as those are the next two tournaments planned for Jannik Sinner, who will regain his spot on the throne, and whose appetite is never satisfied…