Alcaraz captures sixth Masters 1000 title, triumphs in Monte-Carlo

Carlos Alcaraz captured his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title and first in 13 months on Sunday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he overcame Lorenzo Musetti, who struggled with a right leg injury in the third set.

The 21-year-old Spaniard delivered a composed performance and benefited from Musetti’s clear physical issues in the third set to triumph 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 in front of a packed Court Rainier III crowd.

“It is not the way I would have wanted to win a match,” Alcaraz said. “Thinking about Lorenzo, he has been through a tough week, played long matches. I feel sorry for him. It is one of his best results, ending up like this is not easy. Hopefully it is nothing serious and he will be 100 per cent soon.

“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. 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.”

Alcaraz arrived in Monte-Carlo off the back of a shock second-round exit in Miami. Back on clay, the 21-year-old rediscovered his groove with gritty three-set wins over Francisco Cerundolo and Arthur Fils, plus straight-set victories against Daniel Altmaier and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Competing against 23-year-old Musetti in a second Masters 1000 final of the season between two players born in the 2000s, Alcaraz leaned on his big-match experience. Having triumphed at Roland Garros and earned silver at the Paris Olympics on clay last year, the Spaniard stayed composed in chilly, slow conditions to earn his third Masters 1000 title on clay (Madrid ’22, ’23).

Musetti, who was competing in his first Masters 1000 final, matched 18-time tour-level titlist Alcaraz for large periods but began to flex out his leg in the third set. He received treatment at 0-3 in the third set for a right leg issue and was unable to compete with Alcaraz physically in the closing stages.

Alcaraz will climb to No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday following his victory, surpassing Alexander Zverev. The Spaniard is also first in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. Now tied with Daniil Medvedev for the 10th-most Masters 1000 titles in series history, he will look to add to his tally when he competes on home soil at the Masters 1000 event in Madrid later this month.

Crowning a new champion in Monaco 👑@carlosalcaraz wins the 2025 #RolexMonteCarloMasters! pic.twitter.com/GTNpLwXmiM

— Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (@ROLEXMCMASTERS) April 13, 2025

Musetti defeated Top 10 stars Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur en route to his maiden Masters 1000 final. The 23-year-old, who will rise to a career-high No. 11 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday, was aiming to become the third Italian Masters 1000 champion, after Jannik Sinner (4) and 2019 Monte-Carlo champion Fabio Fognini.

The Italian has demonstrated impressive clay-court pedigree in the past. He won the bronze medal on the surface at the Paris Olympics last season, defeated Novak Djokovic in Monte-Carlo in 2023 and lifted the title at the ATP 500 in Hamburg in 2022.

The final was moved from a 3 p.m. CEST start time to a 12 p.m. start time due to the threat of rain in Monte-Carlo. With a packed crowd on Court Rainier III watching on, it did not take time for Alcaraz and Musetti to find their range. The Spaniard produced a stunning forehand pass on the run to break the Italian in the first game but Musetti quickly responded.

The Italian broke back immediately and dictated large periods of the first set, getting his forehand consistently into play in the early stages of the baseline exchanges. The 23-year-old hit seven winners to six unforced errors in the first set, sealing the opener on his first set point.

Alcaraz responded empathically in the second set to quickly draw level, though. He returned closer to the baseline, found greater control on the forehand and improved on serve. He made 78 per cent of his first serves in the second set compared to 66 per cent in the first set, according to Infosys, and started to rush Musetti, who committed nine unforced errors in the set.

Musetti was unable to move in the third set and cut a distraught figure during the 0-5 changeover. Alcaraz remained composed, sealing victory after one hour and 54 minutes.

The Spaniard now leads the Italian 4-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series following his one-hour and 50-minute triumph.

Did You Know?
A total of 29 matches went to three sets at this year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, the most in tournament history.