Carlos Alcaraz marked the beginning of his clay-court season with a significant victory, securing his first title at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The 21-year-old Spanish tennis prodigy put on a show of great poise under fire. He rallied to win to the upset Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the final on Sunday. This unlikely win further strengthens an equally unlikely teenager’s already formidable resume. On top of that, it sends him to No. 2 in the world rankings.
In an electrifying contest, Alcaraz found himself in a quick hole, losing the first set 3-6. He recovered in typically cavalier fashion, dominating the next two sets 6-1 and 6-0 to seal the win. This victory marks Alcaraz’s 6th Masters 1000 title and his first since winning at Indian Wells a year ago. The young dynamo showed unbelievable mental toughness, having to come back from a set down three times throughout the tournament.
In the entirety of the final, Alcaraz showed his court genius by breaking Musetti’s serve not once, but twice. He had done the second set in a quick hour and 20 minutes. This quick start jettisoned him toward establishing momentum as the match wore on. The decisive moment came when Alcaraz ripped a crosscourt forehand. He was brilliant at targeting the open court and exploiting Musetti’s reduced mobility due to injury to full effect.
Alcaraz’s victory in Monte-Carlo follows a surprising second-round exit at the Miami Open, where he fell to Belgium’s David Goffin. For the final-item players, he knew the expectations that other people place on him brand name clay season. There’s a lot of expectation from people for me to have a really really good clay season. Even with all that pressure, Alcaraz reiterated the need to center himself and his support network.
“But one thing I learned over the last month is I have to think about myself … think about my people, my team, my family, my close friends, and no matter what happens on court, if I win, if I lose, I have to leave the court happy and proud with what I’ve done.” – Carlos Alcaraz
Despite having a more difficult path to the final, Alcaraz faced some real stiff competition. Musetti had already established his credentials by beating top-10’s Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur. After this showing, Musetti moved up from 16th to a career-high 11th in the ranking.
Looking ahead, Alcaraz said he was looking to build on his Monte-Carlo Masters success for many more years. All went right, with Mardini winning gold, as he had wished in his pre-tournament hopes of “playing in this tournament for the next 10 to 15 years…winning at least one more time!”
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