Monte Carlo [Monaco], April 14 (HBTV): Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner claimed his first-ever clay court ATP Masters 1000 title on Sunday, defeating rival Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo Masters final in windy conditions, marking their first meeting since November last year.
Sinner defeated Alcaraz 7-6(5), 6-3 to lift the trophy and also move to the world number one ranking from Monday.
The two-hour, 15-minute contest saw Sinner become only the second player, after Novak Djokovic, to win the Miami Open and Monte Carlo Masters back-to-back.
‘We came here trying to get as many matches as possible, getting good feedback before other big tournaments coming up. Today was a high level from both of us,’ Sinner said in his on-court interview as quoted by ATP’s official website.
‘It was a bit windy, a bit breezy. Different conditions from what the tournament has brought. The result is amazing. Getting back to No. 1 means a lot for me... I am very happy to win a big title on this surface. I have not done it before and it means a lot to me,’ he added.
Sinner received strong crowd support on Court Rainier III and clinched the first set in a tie-break after a double fault from Alcaraz. The 24-year-old Italian rallied from 1-3 down in the second set to seal victory, with the Spaniard committing 45 unforced errors.
‘I felt close on the return games and felt the new balls helped me, the ball change was at 2-1, and I just tried to stay there mentally. I tried to keep pushing. I felt a bit tired, so I tried to keep the right mentality, so having this trophy means a lot to me,’ Sinner added.
Sinner also became the third player to win four successive ATP Masters 1000 titles, joining Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who has 11 Monte Carlo titles.
‘It is impressive what you are achieving right now,’ Alcaraz said during the trophy ceremony. ‘Just one man had won the ‘Sunshine Double’ and Monte-Carlo and you are now the second. It is something incredible and I just experienced how difficult it is. Congratulations for everything and the work you are doing with your team,’ he added.
Sinner did not drop a set en route to titles in Paris, Indian Wells and Miami, completing the ‘Sunshine Double’ without losing a set. The second seed extended his winning streak to 17 matches before ending a 37-match streak held by Tomas Machac during the Monte Carlo Masters. He now leads Alcaraz 7-10 in their head-to-head record.
(ANI)