Justine Henin shares how Carlos Alcaraz turned the table to topple Lorenzo Musetti in Monte Carlo Masters final
Carlos Alcaraz won his second title of the season by lifting his first Monte Carlo Masters trophy with a three-set win over Lorenzo Musetti.
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Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti (via Instagram/ATP)
Carlos Alcaraz claimed the Monte Carlo Masters in his second appearance in the tournament. On Sunday (April 12), Alcaraz lost the first set against Lorenzo Musetti but made an emphatic comeback in the second set and eventually came out on top with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.
It was for the third time Alacarz played three-setters, following the first round against Francisco Cerundolo and in the quarterfinals against Arthur Fils. Before the first Masters 1000 of the season on clay, Alcaraz suffered a shock exit in his opening round at the Miami Open and entered the clay swing without winning a title at Indian Wells or the Miami Open for the first time since 2021. After the final, former WTA World No.1 Justine Henin analyzed Alcaraz’s match.
Alcaraz went through a lot of moments this week. He found solutions, he was able to make adjustments. What he was able to put into the second set of this final…Musetti had already given so much, that he started to suffer and decline physically. Alcaraz hit the nail on the head, he pushed where it hurt the most. You have to be able to do that.
Justine Henin on Eurosport
Musetti, who reached his first Masters 1000 final and was bidding to become the third Italian to win a title in this category after World No.1 Jannik Sinner and Fabio Fognini, was dealing with pain throughout the match. Alcaraz, who has now improved his head-to-head record over the 23-year-old to 4-1, lifted his ninth title on clay and his sixth overall Masters 1000 trophy. He is now tied with Daniil Medvedev for the 10th-most Masters 1000 titles (since 1990).
It was his first Masters 1000 title in 13 months as before Monte Carlo, he won the 2024 Indian Wells. The match was the second Masters 1000 final of the season between two players born in the 2000s. It was also Alcaraz’s second title of the season after the Rotterdam Open where he defeated Alex de Minaur in three sets in the final.
Carlos Alcaraz becomes World No.2 after Monte Carlo Masters victory
After claiming 1000 points by winning the Monte Carlo Masters, Carlos Alcaraz toppled Alexander Zverev from the second position on the rankings table. He has now claimed 7,720 points, but he could lose his points again if he doesn’t have a decent campaign at the Barcelona Open and if Zverev ends up winning the BMW Open. Alcaraz, however, doesn’t pay heed to the rankings.
Another thing I’ve learned in recent months is not to think beyond what happens on the court. Just enjoy. I no longer think about the ranking. Ranking is no longer my priority. We’ll see what happens in the next month leading up to Roland Garros. Probably people want to see Jannik and me in the final.
Carlos Alcaraz said at the press conference
Alcaraz won’t be able to dethrone Jannik Sinner from the top as he has 9,930 points. Sinner, who is serving his three-month doping ban and is prohibited from official tournaments till May 4, will be making his comeback at the Italian Open which starts on May 7.
Alcaraz will lock horns with Ethan Quinn to kickstart his campaign in his home tournament. The match, scheduled on Tuesday (April 15), will be their first meeting.
Last year on the clay swing, the 21-year-old lifted one title. It was his career’s first French Open trophy which he won by beating Zverev in five sets. Alcaraz then fell short of the gold medal at the Paris Olympics as he was defeated in the final by Novak Djokovic.
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