Carlos Alcaraz claimed his sixth Masters 1000 crown and first Monte-Carlo title on Sunday, overpowering a fading Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.
The Spaniard weathered a fiery first set from Musetti, but the Italian’s right leg buckled in the third, requiring treatment at 0-3.
Alcaraz, clinical as ever, seized the moment, wrapping it up in 1 hour 54 minutes to climb to World No. 2 on Monday once the ATP rankings are released.
Musetti, who said in the press that he’s a slow starter after his semi-final, flipped the script by starting like a man possessed, breaking back after Alcaraz’s early forehand pass and dictating with seven winners to six errors in the 3-6 opener.
Alcaraz had dropped the opening set in two of his matches this week before figuring things out, and he did the same in the final. Serving better and switching up his return position, he dominated the set 6-1.
The third was tough to watch as Musetti couldn’t move and was non-competitive. All Alcaraz needed to do was stay composed, and he did as he captured his maiden Monte Carlo crown with a forehand into the open court with Musetti entirely out of shot.
A tough end to the week for Musetti, but he will hit a career-high No. 11 tomorrow, while Alcaraz is in the driving seat in the live rankings for the race to Turin.
Match Stats
Lorenzo Musetti
Carlos Alcaraz
Winners
10
30
Unforced Errors
29
32
Aces
3
3
Double Faults
1
3
1st Serve %
63% (43/68)
72% (56/78)
1st Serve Points Won
49% (21/43)
70% (39/56)
2nd Serve Points Won
52% (13/25)
50% (11/22)
Break Points Saved
25% (2/8)
78% (7/9)
Service Games
45% (5/11)
82% (9/11)
1st Return Points Won
30% (17/56)
51% (22/43)
2nd Return Points Won
50% (11/22)
48% (12/25)
Break Points Won
22% (2/9)
75% (6/8)
Return Games
18% (2/11)
55% (6/11)
Service Points
50% (34/68)
64% (50/78)
Return Points
36% (28/78)
50% (34/68)
Net Points
50% (2/4)
76% (13/17)
Total Points
42% (62/146)
58% (84/146)
Match Points Saved
0
0
Max Points In A Row
8
7
Total Games
32% (7/22)
68% (15/22)
Max Games In A Row
4
7
Highlights
Thoughts on the Final
I had a feeling today’s final would disappoint, as I think one of the most energy-zapping things you can do at the moment on tour is beat Alex de Minaur. The guy gives you nothing, is one of the best returners per the stats and runs all day.
Musetti managed that yesterday, and he’s had some physical matches this week alongside it, so I figured Alcaraz would dominate physically.
The only way I saw Musetti winning was a forehand disaster class from Carlos and the Italian keeping his cool.
The first set indicated that the latter could happen as Musetti’s forehand was popping, whereas Carlos’s errors, 13 unforced in the opener, were extremely sloppy.
But then, the tide turned, by the second set, Carlos dialed in, his first-serve percentage jumping to 78% (from 66%), and Musetti’s legs started betraying him.
From there it was plain sailing, and the 6-1 6-0 scoreline shows things weren’t competitive. I think Musetti may even have considered retiring, but he copped a lot of stick when he retired against Djokovic when down 0-4 in the fifth set at Roland Garros in 2021 (and rightfully IMO), so he probably decided to stick it out.
Was there anything to learn from the final? Alcaraz is a beast, but the win doesn’t scream invincibility yet, and he still has a huge tendency to spray errors galore. If you play like that vs Sinner, you’re in trouble.
But his ability to reset, problem-solve on the fly, and recover after sloppily losing the opener is second to none.
It is not the way I would have wanted to win a match. Thinking about Lorenzo, he has been through a tough week, played long matches. I feel sorry for him. It is one of his best results, ending up like this is not easy. Hopefully it is nothing serious and he will be 100 per cent soon. I am really happy to win Monte-Carlo for the first time. It has been a really difficult week with a lot of difficult situations. I am proud with how I dealt with everything. It has been a difficult month for me, so coming here and seeing the hard work pay off makes me happy. Alcaraz on his Monte Carlo win.
What did you think of the final? Let me know in the comments.
