Sinner joins Djokovic in winning first three Masters titles of season

Jannik Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz 7‑6, 6‑3 to win the Monte Carlo Masters and reclaim the World No 1 ranking. The Italian matched Novak Djokovic’s 2015 feat of winning the first three Masters 1000 titles of a season

New Delhi: Jannik Sinner delivered a composed performance to defeat Carlos Alcaraz 7‑6 (7‑5), 6‑3 in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, returning to the World No 1 ranking for the first time since November 2025.

Sinner joined Novak Djokovic (2015) as the only men to claim the first three ATP Masters 1000 titles of a season.

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In a high‑quality match between the top two players, Sinner narrowly won the tense opening set before taking control in the second. He secured his third Masters 1000 title of the season after earlier triumphs at Indian Wells and Miami.

This victory extended his winning streak in Masters events to 22 matches.

The match was played under tricky, windy conditions in Monaco, which caused both players to struggle for rhythm at times. They combined for 83 unforced errors. Despite this, the contest featured powerful shot‑making and momentum swings, with neither player dominating early.

After exchanging breaks in the first set, the match moved to a tie‑break where Sinner raised his level at the key moment. His improved first‑serve accuracy proved crucial. After missing his first set point, he capitalised on a double fault from Alcaraz to gain the lead.

Alcaraz responded in the second set, breaking early to go up 3‑1 and threatening to push the match to a decider. However, Sinner stayed resilient, saving break points and steadily finding his way back as Alcaraz struggled to hold serve.

The turning point came when Sinner broke back to lead 4‑3, putting pressure on Alcaraz. From there, the Italian kept his composure, breaking again before serving out the match to claim his 27th ATP Tour title.

Reflecting on his victory, Sinner said, “It has been an interesting week trying to learn how to play again on clay. I came here hoping to play as many matches as possible, and I’m happy to win one big tournament on this surface. Having this trophy and getting back to number one means a lot to me.”

He added, “Today was a very high level from both of us. It was a bit breezy and different from the conditions we had during the week.”