Alcaraz Reaches Maiden Monte-Carlo Masters Final And Overtakes Sinner As No. 1 In Race
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Carlos Alcaraz reached his maiden final at the Monte-Carlo Masters after beating compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
It was a happy day for the Spanish fans as two of their players met in the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Monte-Carlo. While one was expected to reach this stage, the other one was a good surprise.
Davidovich Fokina had a great run in the principality, reaching the semi-finals. But to reach the final, he had to overcome the biggest favorite in the draw, and he found out quite early that it would be a difficult task.
Alcaraz was playing well since the first rally, quickly establishing a 3-0 lead in the match. Although Davidovich Fokina broke back, the 21-year-old broke once more to lead 5-2.
Up 5-2, the four-time Grand Slam winner had two set points, but those were not enough for him to win the first set. Alcaraz then couldn't use one more set point on his serve, and he was even broken.
That meant a tie-break had to decide the first set of this match. In the tie-break, Alcaraz was almost flawless, winning it 7-2 to eventually win the first set despite minor problems.
In the second set, Alcaraz stepped up his game, and despite using only one of 14 break points that he had, it was enough to win the set and the match, as he didn't face any break points in the second set.
Alcaraz beat Davidovich Fokina 7-6(2), 6-4, reaching his maiden Monte-Carlo Masters final. After the match, it was clear that the young Spaniard was happy about his run.
"It’s been a long time. But I just had to be patient. I had to believe that this moment would come again. Just working hard. Probably people are not patient. They want me to make a final in every tournament."
"So I’m really happy to give them the chance to watch one of my finals again. I’m happy with my team and with everything we’ve done in this period since the last final. I’m gonna try to enjoy this moment."
Thanks to his win, Alcaraz also became the No. 1 player in the 2025 ATP Race (ranking showing points earned in 2025). The Spaniard overtook Jannik Sinner, who has played only one tournament but earned 2,000 points for it (win at the Australian Open).
Alcaraz now has 2,060 points earned in 2025, and he will have a chance to increase that number to 2,410 in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters. His opponent will be the winner of the match between Lorenzo Musetti and in-form Alex de Minaur.
