Sinner beats Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (5), 6-3 on April 12 to win the Monte Carlo Masters and move back to world No. 1. (atptour.com) The final was played at the Monte-Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, with Alcaraz defending the title he won there in 2025. Sinner took the first set in a tiebreak and closed the match in straight sets for his first Monte Carlo crown. (montecarlotennismasters.com) The win gave Sinner his first ATP Masters 1000 title on clay and his eighth Masters 1000 title overall. ATP Tour said he handled windy conditions in the final and lifted his first clay-court Masters trophy. (atptour.com) Monte Carlo is the first Masters 1000 event of the European clay swing, the stretch of tournaments that leads into the French Open in Paris. Sinner’s result put him on top of the rankings at the start of that part of the season. (reuters.com) Reuters reported that Sinner became only the second player to win the “Sunshine Double” and Monte Carlo in the same season, after Novak Djokovic in 2015. That means he followed titles at Indian Wells and Miami with another Masters title on a different surface in April. (reuters.com) The rankings swing added another turn to the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry, which has dominated the top of the men’s tour over the past two years. Yahoo Sports noted that the No. 1 ranking has now changed hands between the two four times in that span. (sports.yahoo.com) Alcaraz had arrived in Monte Carlo as defending champion and with the top ranking on the line in the final. Instead, Sinner left with both the trophy and the No. 1 spot as the tour moves deeper into clay season. (tennis.com)