April 14, 2025: Spanish tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz continued his impressive clay-court form by clinching his first Monte Carlo Masters title with a comeback victory over Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti on Sunday. The 21-year-old rallied from a set down to win 3-6, 6-1, 6-0, lifting his sixth ATP Masters 1000 trophy and signaling a strong start to his European clay-court campaign ahead of the French Open.
Alcaraz, who is the reigning Roland Garros champion and the Paris 2024 silver medallist, had a shaky start. He dropped his opening two service games and committed 14 unforced errors, allowing Musetti to take the first set 6-3. However, the Spaniard rebounded spectacularly, dominating the second set 6-1 and then sweeping the third 6-0.
The final, which lasted just under two hours, saw Alcaraz completely take control after Musetti began to struggle physically. The 23-year-old Italian, playing in his first Masters 1000 final, took a medical timeout early in the third set to treat his right leg but was clearly hindered, managing to win just two of the last 14 points.
Despite the dominant win, Alcaraz showed humility and empathy for his opponent in the post-match interview.
“It’s not the way I wanted to win a match. Lorenzo has been through a really tough week, with really long and intense matches. I feel really sorry for him that it ended like this; it’s not easy,” Alcaraz said.
He also reflected on his personal journey and recent struggles:
“I’m really happy to have won Monte Carlo for the first time. Difficult win with a lot of difficult situations. I dealt with everything. It’s been a difficult month for me, outside and on the court, but coming here and seeing the hard work paying off makes me really happy.”
With this win, Alcaraz has now improved to 17-1 on clay since last year’s French Open — his only loss coming against Novak Djokovic in the Paris Olympic final. The victory also guarantees that he will rise to World No. 2, overtaking Alexander Zverev, when the ATP rankings are updated on Monday.
As the 2025 French Open approaches, Alcaraz’s Monte Carlo triumph not only reaffirms his dominance on clay but also cements his status as one of the top contenders for the crown in Paris once again.