Alcaraz triumphs over Musetti to win Monte Carlo Masters
This victory marks Alcaraz's sixth Masters title and his most prestigious since his Wimbledon triumph last year.
Carlos Alcaraz claimed his first Monte Carlo Masters title on Sunday, defeating Italy's Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 in the final at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
This victory marks Alcaraz's sixth Masters title and his most prestigious since his Wimbledon triumph last year. The 21-year-old Spaniard, a four-time Grand Slam winner, will also rise to No. 2 in the ATP rankings, overtaking Alexander Zverev.
"I'm just really happy to have won Monte Carlo for the first time," said Alcaraz, reflecting on his previous disappointing appearance at the tournament in 2022, where he lost in his opening match.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"It's been a really difficult week with a lot of tough situations," Alcaraz continued. "I'm really proud of how I've dealt with everything. It's been a tough month for me, both on and off the court. Coming here and seeing how the hard work has paid off makes me really happy."
Musetti had previously beaten two Top 10 players, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur, on his way to his first Masters 1000 final, but he struggled to contain the intensity of Alcaraz in the decider.
The Italian broke Alcaraz's serve early in the first set, but the Spaniard quickly regained his composure, winning the second set 6-1. Musetti's struggles intensified as he began to experience problems with his right leg. After receiving treatment at 0-3 down in the final set, he battled on but couldn't match Alcaraz's pace and physicality.
"Lorenzo's had a really tough week with long and intense matches," Alcaraz said. "I feel sorry for him. It's one of his best results, but to end like this isn't easy. I hope it's not serious and that he'll be back to 100 percent soon."
Despite the loss, Musetti has reasons to be optimistic. The 21-year-old's performance earned him a rise to No. 11 in the ATP rankings, and he's set to build on this momentum as the clay court season progresses towards the French Open in May.
"This was probably one of my best tournaments so far," Musetti said. "I'm disappointed I couldn't finish the match in the best way for the crowd. You deserve it, and I'll keep going. I'll try and come back for revenge."
