Monte Carlo Masters Archives

Carlos Alcaraz defeats Lorenzo Musetti to win Monte Carlo Masters title

Carlos Alcaraz made the best possible start to his preparations for the defence of his French Open title, burning past the Italian Lorenzo Musetti in three sets on Sunday to win his first Monte Carlo Masters.

The 21-year-old Spaniard, already a four-time Grand Slam winner, dropped the opening set but came back hard to take the next two at the cost of a single game as he cleaned up 3-6, 6-1, 6-0, albeit helped by a limping Musetti.

It marks a sixth Masters title for Alcaraz and is his most prestigious title since winning Wimbledon last year.

It was also his first win on clay since winning the French Open last season, although in mitigation, he only had one tournament after that when he missed out on gold at the Paris Olympics.

“I’m just really happy to have won Monte Carlo for the first time,” said Alcaraz, who lost in his first match on his only previous appearance at the tournament in 2022.

“It’s been a really difficult week with a lot of difficult situations.

“I’m really proud of myself and how I’ve dealt with everything. It’s been a really difficult month for me on the court and outside.

“Coming here and seeing how the whole hard work has paid off, I’m really happy.”

Carlos Alcaraz chose not to expand on his difficulties, but they may be eased partly by this win, which will lift him up to No 2 in the world rankings, ahead of Alexander Zverev but still behind the suspended Jannik Sinner.

However, this was no easy win in chilly conditions against a man playing in his first Masters 1000 final after taking down two top 10 players, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur, to get there.

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Musetti dropped his opening service but broke back straight away and took the fight to Alcaraz, who, in spite of the odd blissful winner, appeared at odds with his game, making six unforced errors.

The Spaniard bounced back, however, lifting his game as he galloped through the second set 6-1.

That trend continued as Musetti began to have problems with his right leg, receiving treatment when he was 0-3 in the decider.

He battled on but could not live with the intensity or physicality of Alcaraz’s game.

“It is not the way I would have wanted to win a match,” said Carlos Alcaraz. “Lorenzo’s been through a really tough week, long and intense matches.”

“I feel sorry for him, one of the best results he has done. To end like this is not easy. Hopefully it’s not serious and he’s 100 percent soon.”

Some consolation for Musetti is a rise to No 11 in the rankings and the promise of more to come on the clay as the season gets underway.

“It was probably one of my best tournaments so far,” said Musetti, who took bronze at last year’s Olympics behind Alcaraz and gold medallist Novak Djokovic.

“I’m disappointed I couldn’t finish the match in the best way, for the crowd. You deserve it so I will keep going and try and come back for revenge.”

Both Carlos Alcaraz and Musetti will continue their clay court preparations at the Barcelona Open next week in the build-up to the French Open at the end of May.

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Djokovic into record 77th Masters semi-final at Monte Carlo as Sinner shines

Novak Djokovic reached a record 77th Masters semi-final on Friday when he defeated Australia’s Alex de Minaur in straight sets in Monte Carlo as in-form Jannik Sinner racked up his 25th victory of the year.

Djokovic, the 36-year-old world number one came through a rollercoaster quarter-final to win 7-5, 6-4 and make the last-four in the principality for the first time since 2015 when he went on to claim his second title at the tournament.

Djokovic, the oldest man to make the Monte Carlo semi-finals in the Open Era, will take on Casper Ruud of Norway for a place in Sunday’s championship match.

“It was tough for both of us. He is one of the quickest players on tour. He gets a lot of balls back that normally 99 percent of other players don’t,” said Novak Djokovic who avenged his loss to De Minaur at the United Cup in January.

“He did not surprise me with several passing shots. Particularly in the second set when I was up a break.

“But he said at the net it was ugly. The second set I think it was. We didn’t play at the high level and made a lot of unforced errors, him and I, and a lot of breaks of serve. It is kind of expected on clay but maybe not this many. But a win is a win and I am happy to be through.”

Saturday’s other semi-final sees Australian Open champion and world number two Jannik Sinner face two-time Monte Carlo Masters winner Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Sinner took his 2024 record to 25 wins and just one loss with a gruelling 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 victory over 2023 runner-up Holger Rune.

Greek 12th seed Tsitsipas breezed past Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-4, 6-2.

Djokovic had appeared on course for a comfortable afternoon under the sweltering Riviera sun against 11th seeded De Minaur.

After pocketing the first set, he was quickly 2-0 ahead in the second.

However, five successive breaks of serve followed as the top seed saw leads of 3-1 and 4-2 retrieved by his opponent who clawed back to 4-4.

Novak Djokovic held for 5-4 and secured his fifth break of the match in the 10th game to claim victory in just over two hours and move two wins away from a 41st career Masters title.

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Sinner kept his cool as Rune lost his in a two-hour 40-minute marathon.

Rune, who will drop out of the top 10 next week, was warned by the chair umpire for unsporting behaviour after a sarcastic gesture to the crowd in the second set.

He was booed even more when he sat down and demanded the supervisor be called.

The 20-year-old Dane regained his composure, saving two match points to take the tie to a decider.

However, Sinner moved smartly into his fifth semi-final of 2024, gaining revenge for his loss to Rune in the last-four in Monte Carlo 12 months ago.

“One can try and create a little bit of chaos,” said Sinner of Rune’s antics.

“That is no problem. I learned from last year. That is all part of the learning process.”

Tsitsipas, winner of the Monte Carlo title in 2021 and 2022, needed just 81 minutes to record his eighth win in nine meetings against Khachanov.

“I was very effective from the start, I had a lot of pace and gained momentum,” said Tsitsipas.

“I tried to do my part and press and it worked out really well.”

Tsitsipas added: “There are many good memories here and stepping out and coming back revives those good memories. It brings me alive.”

Eighth-seeded Ruud saw off 14th seed Ugo Humbert of France 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 to make the semi-finals in Monte Carlo for the second time.

Ruud will look to overturn a 5-0 losing record against Djokovic on Saturday, a dismal run which includes a straight-sets defeat to the Serb in the French Open final last year.

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Two-time winner Stefanos Tsitsipas eases into Monte Carlos semis-finals

Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas kept alive his hopes of a third Monte Carlos Masters title as on Friday he breezed into the semi-finals dismissing Russian opponent Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-2.

Tsitsipas, winner in Monte Carlo in 2021 and 2022, needed just 81 minutes to record his eighth win in nine meetings with an out of sorts Khachanov.

The 25-year-old Greek will meet the winner of the quarter-final between Holger Rune and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.

“I was very effective from the start, I had a lot of pace and gained momentum,” said Tsitsipas.

“I tried to do my part and press and it worked out really well.”

Khachanov had cheekily said to the umpire prior to the match “Are you going to stay focussed?” to which the official replied “Always, of course.”

It was Khachanov who should have asked himself the question as he rarely seemed to be and was way off the form he had shown in Thursday’s defeat of compatriot Daniil Medvedev.

The opening exchanges were messy from both players with three successive breaks of serve — Stefanos Tsitsipas breaking the run to open up a 3-1 lead.

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Khachanov finally won a service game of his own — to make it 3-2 — displaying a fine mix of power hitting, delicate touch and agility.

However, he required medical attention at the change over at 5-4 down, but returned to the fray only for Tsitsipas to serve out the set.

Khachanov, who seemed to be troubled by a pain in an upper quad, came under pressure on his serve at 1-1 in the second set — but he saved a break point and then held.

However, it was a very unhappy Khachanov who returned to his chair at the next change over as a series of errors gave his Greek rival the break at 3-2.

The 27-year-old Russian flung his racket angrily to the ground as he took his seat.

Stefanos Tsitsipas did not ease up winning 11 points in a row to surge to a 5-2 lead and served out easily for a place in the last eight.

He admitted the tournament brought out the best in him though it is yet to lead to him winning the big one on clay, The French Open.

“I would lie if I said it did not bring out the best in me,” he said grinning.

“There are many good memories and stepping out here and coming back here it revives those good memories.

“It brings me alive.”

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Novak Djokovic into Monte Carlo quarters as Medvedev rages in defeat

Novak Djokovic avenged last year’s Monte Carlo Masters defeat by Lorenzo Musetti to reach the quarter-finals Thursday, while Daniil Medvedev launched into an angry tirade during his defeat.

World number one Djokovic made a poor start and endured a second-set wobble before coming through 7-5, 6-3 against the 24th-ranked Musetti, the man who beat him at the same stage 12 months ago.

Novak Djokovic goes on to play Alex de Minaur, the 11th seed from Australia, in the last eight.

The Serbian top seed dropped serve in the opening game against Musetti before working his way back to level at 4-4, and then snatched the set on a double fault by his opponent.

Djokovic broke twice early in the second set either side of losing his own serve to surge 4-1 ahead. Musetti clawed back to within a game but Djokovic broke again for 5-3 before closing out the win.

Novak Djokovic has struggled to find his best form in recent times in Monte Carlo. He has not won the tournament since the last of his two titles in 2015, failing to advance beyond the quarter-finals in seven subsequent appearances.

Medvedev launched into another angry tirade against the officiating as he was beaten 6-3, 7-5 by Karen Khachanov.

Daniil Medvedev was hit with a point penalty to start the final game after berating chair umpire Carlos Bernardes and then became embroiled in a heated discussion with the tournament supervisor.

The world number four had already been warned after hurling his racquet when he double-faulted to lose his service game and leave Khachanov a game away from victory.

Medvedev, who took issue with two line calls in his second-round win on Wednesday, felt aggrieved a Khachanov forehand was not called out during a rally that resulted in the latter earning two break points at 5-5.

The arrival of the physio to treat a finger bleed at the ensuing changeover tipped Medvedev over the edge, with the Russian yelling “did I ask for the physio!” at the umpire.

He then demanded of the supervisor “who will take responsibility?” for the decisions.

Television replays appeared to show the shot in question from Khachanov had landed wide of the court.

“It’s second day in a row. Guys, open your eyes. Do something. It’s out,” raged Medvedev.

“The mark is out. They don’t know how to referee anymore. Who will take action?

“Yesterday the ball is out, it’s called in. Who will take action. This ball is out there. Who will take responsibility? It’s not my responsibility to referee the matches.

“It’s this guy in the glasses (the line judge). He doesn’t need glasses because he doesn’t see anything. He should not be a referee.”

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Khachanov and Medvedev traded breaks in the first four games of the match before the former landed the crucial blow at 4-3 en route to taking the opening set.

The second set followed serve and Khachanov saved a set point down 5-4 before Medvedev imploded in the next game, losing both his serve and temper, and eventually the match.

Khachanov’s reward is a quarter-final Friday against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who saw off fifth seed Alexander Zverev 7-5, 7-6 (7/3).

De Minaur moved into the last eight with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against fellow Australian Alexei Popyrin.

Grigor Dimitrov, last month’s Miami Open runner-up, continued his good form with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Miomir Kecmanovic in a second-round match that was suspended on Wednesday because of rain.

Seventh seed Holger Rune, the 2023 finalist, shrugged off Indian qualifier Sumit Nagal 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

World number two Jannik Sinner, who owns a 23-1 record this season, takes on Jan-Lennard Struff in the ongoing Monte Carlo Masters.

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Novak Djokovic cruises in Monte Carlo after Alcaraz withdraws injured

World number one Novak Djokovic flew past Roman Safiullin in straight sets at the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday, after third seed Carlos Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the event due to injury.

After receiving a bye in the first round, Djokovic was imperious on the main Rainier III court as he won 6-1, 6-2 against the unseeded Russian.

“I am very pleased… I think even the games that I lost I had break points in those games. It is a really great first match at the start of the clay season,” said Djokovic.

The Serb needed just one hour and 10 minutes to make a return to winning ways in his first match since a shock early exit at Indian Wells to Italian Luca Nardi.

The 36-year-old became the oldest world no.1 in the history of the ATP rankings when he took to the court in Monte Carlo, surpassing Roger Federer’s record.

“It is nice, it is great,” said the 24-time Grand Slam winner.

“I met (Rohan) Bopanna yesterday, who is the oldest doubles no.1 in history. He said we had a combined age of 80, but he does contribute to the 80 more than I do. But it is fun.”

But there was no sign of Djokovic feeling his age as he broke Safiullin’s serve twice to race into a 4-0 lead in the first set.

Novak Djokovic went on to break his opponent’s serve five times over the course of a routine win and now faces a third-round meeting with either Lorenzo Musetti or rising French starlet Arthur Fils.

Before Djokovic took to court, Alcaraz announced he was pulling out of Monte Carlo after failing to recover from an injury to his right forearm.

“I have been working in Monte Carlo and trying to recover until the last minute from an injured pronator teres (muscle) in my right arm, but it was not possible and I cannot play,” Alcaraz wrote on social media.

The 20-year-old Spaniard, whose last match came in the straight sets defeat by Grigor Dimitrov in Miami last month, was due to go straight into Wednesday’s second round in Monte Carlo against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

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He will be replaced in the draw by Italian Lorenzo Sonego, who was drafted in as a lucky loser, the ATP announced.

The match against Auger-Aliassime was set to be the two-time Grand Slam winner’s second ever appearance at Monte Carlo, following his withdrawal from the tournament last year and a three-set defeat in his only match of the 2022 edition.

Earlier in the day, American Sebastian Korda, the man responsible for that defeat in 2022, stormed past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1, 6-2 in the first round.

After a rain-hit morning causing a two-and-a-half-hour delay to the day’s play, world no.11 Alex de Minaur made up for lost time with a 62-minute straight sets win over Stan Wawrinka.

The 39-year-old wild card Wawrinka, formerly ranked no.3 in the world but now down to no.79, was no match in the first round for the Australian who prevailed 6-3, 6-0.

Wawrinka, the 2014 champion in Monte Carlo and a three-time Grand Slam winner, made 28 unforced errors to De Minaur’s 18 and landed just four winners to the 12 made by his opponent.

In the next round, De Minaur, who won this year’s title on the hard courts in Acapulco, will face Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.

Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut beat lucky loser Facundo Diaz Acosta 6-2, 6-4, while China’s Zhang Zhizhen won in three sets against Marcos Giron of the United States.

The 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz overcame Britain’s Jack Draper after nearly two and a half hours on court to reach the second round, winning 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2).

After winning a first title in two injury-hit years in Marrakesh on Sunday, Italian Matteo Berrettini’s run in Monte Carlo Masters was cut short by Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-1.

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Tsitsipas outpowers Fokina to defend Monte Carlo Masters title

FRANCE: The Greek Tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas outclassed the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to successfully defend the Monte Carlo Masters, here on Sunday.

The Greek, who was appearing in his fourth final at this level, has now won two ATP Masters 1000 titles, and has also won eight tour-level trophies.

With his one-hour and 34-minute victory over Fokina, Tsitsipas joins Rafael Nadal, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Thomas Muster, Bjorn Borg, and Ilie Nastase as the only players to successfully defend the Monte Carlo Masters title in the Open Era.

The Spaniard Fokina got out to a fast start on Court Rainier III, showing no signs of jitters as he started the better, swiftly establishing his range on his forehand from the baseline to collect an early break. Tsitsipas, on the other hand, reacted swiftly by hitting with more depth and sending a forehand past the Spaniard to tie the game at 2-2.

The Greek then kept imposing his heavy-hitting game on Fokina, dragging the 22-year-old from corner to corner as he won four of the following five games to take the lead.

Fueled by the momentum, the third seed took further control of the match and the 22-years-old Spaniard Fokina, despite showing the signs of grit remained short of pulling the game into his favour.

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Tsitsipas overpowers Schwartzman to reach Monte Carlo Masters semis

FRANCE: The Monte Carlo Masters defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas has overpowered his Argentine opponent Diego Schwartzman in an epic quarter-final and advanced into the last four of the ongoing tournament.

Tsitsipas, who lost a 5-2 lead in the second set, rallied from 0-4 in the decider to win after two hours and 45 minutes on Friday by 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4 in a classic quarter-final match that swung one way and then the other.

The Greek Tennis player Tsitsipas was 0-4 in the third set after losing nine out of ten games after leading 5-2 in the second. However, World No. 5 began to rediscover his rhythm, hitting with greater width and topspin to secure a thrilling victory.

The defending champion struck 22 per cent of his shots from offensive positions in the match, compared to 14 per cent for Schwartzman, according to Tennis Data Innovation’s Balance of Power.

In another quarter-final, Grigor Dimitrov secured an upset victory over Huber Hurcakz by 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2).

In the face of a spirited comeback from 11th seed Hurkacz, the World No. 29 fought deep to win 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2) and go to his sixth Masters 1000 semi-final.

The Bulgarian Tennis star will face the 22-years-old Spaniard Davidovich Fokina – who upset the top-ranked Tennis star Novak Djokovic in the second round.

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Davidovich Fokina advances into first Masters Semi-final in Monte Carlo

FRANCE: The Spaniard Davidovich Fokina has overcome the tenth seed – America’s Taylor Fritz 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, here on Friday.

The 22-years-old Spaniard, who upset the top-ranked Tennis player – Novak Djokovic in the second round, has shown a high level of confidence and remained successful to keep the momentum on his side as he defeated Fritz in the quarter-final.

Fokina, a Spaniard, played with remarkable vigour, widening his groundstrokes to pull Fritz across the court. Davidovich Fokina’s shotmaking and fist-pumping kept the fans engaged throughout, and he advanced after two hours and 24 minutes.

He will face Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in the first semi-final of the ongoing tournament on Saturday.

The World number three Alexander Zverev, on the other hand, edged past Italy’s Jannik Sinner in a hard-fought match to book a spot in the semi-finals.

In the second semi-final, here on Friday, the two players pushed each other to the limits by producing a classic over the course of three hours and seven minutes.

In a back-and-forth contest that saw 10 breaks of serve, Zverev finished stronger in a 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(5) victory to reach his second Monte Carlo semi-final.

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Zverev beats Busta, Sinner Rallies Past Rublev to set Quarter-Final clash

FRANCE: German tennis star Alexander Zverev beats 13th seed Pablo Carreno Busta 6-2, 7-5, while Jannik Sinner pulled off a thrilling victory over Andrey Rublev by 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 to book their quarter-final clash of the Monte Carlo Masters.

The five-time Masters 1000 champion Zverev thumped his Spaniard counterpart, Carreno Busta, to book his spot into the final eight of the tournament. The 24-years-old dominated the match throughout and pushed Busta on the backfoot.

The two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion was particularly impressed with his serve. Zverev won 79 per cent of his first-serve points, while Carreno Busta only won 57 per cent.

Sinner, on the other hand, after being forced to retire in the Miami Open quarter-final against Francisco Cerundolo, bounced back from the injury and secured a third-round win to book another quarter-final berth.

Both Sinner and Rublev were aggressive throughout the match, punishing short balls mercilessly, but the Italian’s defence and retrieving vexed his opponent as the game progressed.

Sinner showed no signs of slowing down after taking the lead in the second set after appearing to struggle with his movement late in the first and went on to win Rublev by 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.

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Defending champion Tsitsipas thumps Djere to reach Monte Carlo QFs

FRANCE: The defending champion of the Monte Carlo Masters Stefanos Tsitsipas kept on his successful run as the Greek thumped his Serbian counterpart Laslo Djere by 7-5, 7-6(1) to book the spot in the quarter-finals, here on Thursday.

The world number five Tsitsipas, who took the clay court of Monte Carlo Masters in red hot form, has extended his run into the last eight of the ongoing tournament.

The 23-years-old Greek ruthlessly outclassed his Serbian opponent Djere to back his last week’s opening victory against the 2019 champion Fabio Fognini.

The Greek tennis player remained patient and served well throughout while waiting for the chances before increasing the intensity with his heavy forehand and clinched the victory in an hour and 52 minutes by 7-5, 7-6(1).

According to Tennis Data Innovation’s Balance of Power, Tsitsipas played from an aggressive posture 23% of the time versus 19% for Djere, allowing him to have more control over the action.

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