CHAMPIONSHIP POINT: Carlos Alcaraz clinches Monte Carlo crown over fading Lorenzo Musetti

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Carlos Alcaraz captured the Monte Carlo title for the first time in his career on Sunday, dropping the first set to Lorenzo Musetti but then completely running away with the final, 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.

And with that, he continued to prove why he’s one of the best big-match players in the business: he’s now an incredible 10-1 in his career in Grand Slam and Masters 1000 finals combined.

He’s 4-0 in Grand Slam finals, and now 6-1 in Masters 1000 finals.

And the only loss could easily have gone into the win column—he fell to Novak Djokovic in the final of Cincinnati in 2023, 5-7, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4), after not only leading by a set and a break, 7-5, 4-2, but having also held a match point up 6-5 in the second set tie-break.

At 3:49, that final broke the record for longest best-of-three-set final on the ATP tour since 1990, and that’s what it took for Alcaraz to lose a final at a Grand Slam or a Masters 1000 event.

ALCARAZ IN GRAND SLAM FINALS (4-0):

  • d. Ruud in '22 US Open final, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3
  • d. Djokovic in '23 Wimbledon final, 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
  • d. Zverev in '24 Roland Garros final, 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
  • d. Djokovic in '24 Wimbledon final, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6

ALCARAZ IN MASTERS 1000 FINALS (6-1):

  • d. Ruud in '22 Miami final, 7-5, 6-4
  • d. Zverev in '22 Madrid final, 6-3, 6-1
  • d. Medvedev in '23 Indian Wells final, 6-3, 6-2
  • d. Struff in '23 Madrid final, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
  • l. to Djokovic in '23 Cincinnati final, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6
  • d. Medvedev in '24 Indian Wells final, 7-6, 6-1
  • d. Musetti in '25 Monte Carlo final, 3-6, 6-1, 6-0
Alcaraz has also become just the second player ever to capture six Masters 1000 titles before turning 22.

Alcaraz has also become just the second player ever to capture six Masters 1000 titles before turning 22.

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Alcaraz is now 18-5 overall in finals: 4-0 at Grand Slams, 6-1 at Masters 1000s, 0-1 at Olympics, 6-2 at ATP 500s and 2-1 at ATP 250s.

And there’s more.

Alcaraz is just the second player ever to win six Masters 1000 titles before their 22nd birthday, since that level of tournament began in 1990, and he could increase that to seven if he wins Madrid in a few weeks, the final of which will be the day before his 22nd birthday.

His countryman, Rafael Nadal, is the only other player to achieve the feat, winning 11 Masters 1000 titles before turning 22.

Between Monte Carlo and Madrid, Alcaraz will play the ATP 500 event in Barcelona this coming week, where he’s a two-time champion in 2023 and 2024 and the top seed this year.