Alcaraz Sets Sinner Final After Tough Vacherot Victory

Carlos Alcaraz defeated hometown hero Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-4 Saturday to set a blockbuster final with Jannik Sinner that will double as a shootout for World No. 1 honours.

Apart from one momentary lapse early in the second set, when a sloppy game saw Alcaraz immediately hand back a break, the Spaniard produced some of his best tennis, reminding fans why he is the defending champion and the reason he went 22-1 during last year’s clay-court season.

“This is the dream [final] for everyone,” Alcaraz said. “The No. 1 is on the line so that will make it even more special… I’m really excited about my first meeting with Jannik in 2026.

“I’m really happy to win this difficult match against Valentin. He’s playing great tennis with a lot of confidence right now playing in his home town.”

Intent on asserting his dominance over the physically imposing Vacherot, Alcaraz’s weight of shot pinned the Monegasque deep behind the baseline for most of the match, ensuring that he would be the one to dictate play. The Spaniard finished with 20 winners to Vacherot’s seven.

Playing in warmer and sunnier conditions than his evening matches leading into the semi-final, Vacherot played aggressively throughout to take the fight to Alcaraz. But the difficulty in moving forward — especially on return — made it hard to apply sustained pressure on the Spaniard.

A turning point came at 4-all in the second set. Alcaraz called for a video review of an unusual mid-court inside-out forehand slice. The unsuccessful challenge left Vacherot serving at 40/15, but the delay proved disruptive. He double faulted en route to losing four consecutive points to drop serve, with an Alcaraz backhand winner off a smash and then a deft drop shot sealing Vacherot’s fate.

Alcaraz and Sinner have combined to win the past 19 tournaments in which they have both contested. That streak is now guaranteed to hit 20.

Vacherot was ranked No. 256 this time last year, requiring a wild card to compete. His semi-final run — which included a second-round win over 2025 finalist and World No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti — will see him rise to No. 17 on Monday. Including his stunning run from qualifying to the Rolex Shanghai Masters title last October, Vacherot has won 17 of his past 21 matches at Masters 1000 level.