Sinner tops Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (5), 6-3 on April 12 to win the Monte-Carlo Masters, his first ATP Masters 1000 title on clay. (atptour.com) The final lasted 2 hours, 15 minutes on Court Rainier III in windy conditions, and Sinner closed it after taking a first-set tiebreak and rallying from 1-3 in the second set. (atptour.com) Alcaraz entered as the defending champion, and the draw shows the tournament ended with the top seed from one half against the top seed from the other: Alcaraz in the final against Sinner. (montecarlotennismasters.com) The win also moved Sinner back to world No. 1 in the ATP rankings, ending Alcaraz’s stay at the top after their latest swap in a two-man race that has hardened over the past two seasons. (atptour.com) (tennismajors.com) Monte Carlo is the first Masters 1000 stop of the European clay swing, so the result lands at the start of the run-up to Madrid, Rome and the French Open. Sinner had already won Miami, and ATP said he became only the second man after Novak Djokovic in 2015 to win Miami and Monte Carlo back to back. (olympics.com) (atptour.com) ATP said Sinner’s Monte Carlo title was his eighth Masters 1000 crown and his third at that level in 2026, after the March events in Indian Wells and Miami. ATP also said he became just the third player after Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to win four straight Masters 1000 tournaments. (atptour.com 1) (atptour.com 2) The match was their first meeting of 2026, and ESPN said it was their first clay meeting since the 2025 French Open final, which Alcaraz won in five sets. Sunday flipped that surface script, with Sinner handling the wind better while Alcaraz finished with 45 unforced errors, according to ATP. (espn.com) (atptour.com) Sinner said on court that winning “a big title on this surface” meant a lot because he had not done it before. Alcaraz told him during the trophy ceremony, “It is impressive what you are achieving right now,” ATP reported. (atptour.com) By Monday, ATP’s rankings page listed Sinner back at No. 1 and Alcaraz at No. 2, turning one Sunday final in Monaco into the latest marker for the men’s game before the rest of clay season begins. (atptour.com)