Carlos Alcaraz surged back to top form on Sunday, overcoming a sluggish start to defeat Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 and capture his maiden Monte Carlo Masters title—his most significant triumph since winning Wimbledon in 2024.
The 21-year-old Spaniard, who endured a disappointing North American swing in March with early exits in Miami and a semi-final loss at Indian Wells, rediscovered his dominance on clay. The Monte Carlo victory marks his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title and his 10th major title overall, which includes four Grand Slam victories.
“I am really happy to win Monte Carlo for the first time. It has been a really difficult week with a lot of difficult situations,” Alcaraz said after the match.
“I am proud with how I dealt with everything. It has been a difficult month for me, so coming here and seeing the hard work pay off makes me happy.”
On a cool, overcast afternoon at Court Rainier III, Musetti took early control. The Italian broke Alcaraz twice in the opening set and capitalized on 11 unforced forehand errors from his opponent to claim it 6-3. Musetti’s variety and shot-making craft appeared to rattle an unsettled Alcaraz.
But the match turned sharply in the second set.
Alcaraz tightened his groundstrokes and began striking with more precision and power. He broke twice and won five consecutive games, turning the tide with authority. As the pace increased, Musetti began to physically fade after enduring multiple long matches earlier in the week.
The final set was entirely one-sided. Alcaraz broke immediately and raced to a 3-0 lead before Musetti called for a medical timeout to treat a right thigh issue. The Spaniard remained relentless, conceding just eight points in the set and closing the match with clinical precision.
“It is not the way I would have wanted to win a match,” Alcaraz acknowledged. “Thinking about Lorenzo, he has been through a tough week, played long matches. I feel sorry for him. Hopefully it is nothing serious and he will be 100% soon.”
The win allows Alcaraz to leapfrog Alexander Zverev in the ATP rankings and reclaim the world number two spot. He also moves to the top of the 2025 ATP Race, edging ahead of current world number one Jannik Sinner, who has just returned to training after serving a three-month doping suspension.
Alcaraz now heads to the Barcelona Open, where he will face a qualifier in the opening round, carrying momentum into his Roland Garros title defense, which begins in late May.
