Sinner wins Monte Carlo

Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (5), 6-3 on April 12 to win the Monte Carlo Masters and move back to No. 1 in the ATP rankings. (atptour.com) The final lasted 2 hours, 15 minutes on Court Rainier III in windy conditions, with Sinner taking a tight first-set tiebreak before pulling away in the second. (atptour.com) It was Sinner’s first Monte Carlo title, his first ATP Masters 1000 title on clay, and his eighth Masters 1000 title overall. (atptour.com) The result also flipped the top of men’s tennis again. The ATP rankings released Monday, April 13, put Sinner at No. 1 with 13,350 points and Alcaraz at No. 2 with 13,240. (atptour.com; atptour.com) Monte Carlo is the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the European clay season, so the title is an early marker before Madrid, Rome and the French Open. Alcaraz had arrived as the defending champion in Monaco. (atptour.com; montecarlotennismasters.com) The match added another chapter to the sport’s central rivalry. ATP Tour coverage called it a No. 1 versus No. 2 final, and the rankings now show a gap of just 110 points between them. (atptour.com; atptour.com) Sinner’s win also extended a rare Masters run. The ATP said he became just the second man after Novak Djokovic in 2015 to win the first three ATP Masters 1000 events of a season. (atptour.com) ATP and tournament reports said Sinner also became only the third man to win four straight Masters 1000 titles, joining Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. (nittoatpfinals.com; tennis.com) By mid-April, the clay season has a clear split-screen: Alcaraz still owns the most recent Monte Carlo title before this year, and Sinner now holds the trophy, the ranking lead and the early edge in the 2026 race. (montecarlotennismasters.com; atptour.com)