Jannik Sinner lost the ATP world No. 1 ranking in September 2025 after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open final. Now, 217 days later, the Italian has once again risen to the top of the tennis world and claimed his first Masters clay-court title against the same rival. He defeated Alcaraz 7-6, 6-3 in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters. The Spaniard’s reign at the top had begun in November last year, maintaining it for 66 weeks, tying with Sinner at No.12. Still, the win meant more to Jannik than just rankings and a title.

“It means a lot to me. At the same time, the ranking is secondary. I’m very happy to win at least one big trophy on this surface. I haven’t done it before. It means a lot to me,” he said during his post-match on-court interview.

Sinner will be hoping to maintain a long reign at the top this time around. He had gotten dethroned last year after spending just one week at the top by who else, but Alcaraz.

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Coming to the match, both rivals put in a brilliant performance in the first set. The two looked very strong with their serves, and this resulted in the set going into a tiebreaker. But Sinner would end up edging it to take a valuable lead in the match.

After losing the first set, Carlos Alcaraz very well knew that he needed to start the second set strong. The latter managed to do exactly that and broke early to race to a 3-1 lead. However, the Italian maintained his composure and would go on to break Alcaraz’s serve twice to take the second set convincingly. When asked about his mindset during the second set, Sinner had quite a straightforward answer:

“I felt close on the return games. I had a feeling the new balls helped me. The ball change was at 2-1. I tried to stay there mentally. Trying to keep pushing. I felt a bit tired. I tried to keep up with the right mentality. Having this trophy with me now means a lot to me. It’s a completely different tournament, I come here, sleeping at home, and everything. It means a lot.”

This was Sinner’s fourth-consecutive triumph at a Masters tournament. He had previously won the Paris Masters last year before becoming just the eighth men’s player in history to complete a stunning ‘Sunshine Double’. The victory in Monte Carlo saw the 24-year-old join Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as only the third player to win four Masters 1000 titles in a row.

Notably, Sinner hadn’t lost a set on the way to his triumphs in Paris, Indian Wells and Miami. His 18-match streak of not conceding a set would be brought to an end by Tomas Machac in the second round of the Monte Carlo Open. The Italian didn’t look fully fit during the match and was seen touching his back repeatedly. He had even called for a medical timeout at one stage that led to major concerns regarding his condition.

However, Sinner would eventually defeat Machac 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 and would never look back from there. He recorded straight-set victories over both Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alexander Zverev in the next two rounds before wrapping up the final in two sets as well.

Sharing his views on Sinner’s triumph, Alcaraz admitted that winning three Masters 1000 tournaments in a year is a monumental feat for anyone.

Carlos Alcaraz hails Jannik Sinner after Monte Carlo final

“It is impressive what you are achieving right now. Just one man had won the ‘Sunshine Double’ and Monte-Carlo and you are now the second. It is something incredible and I just experienced how difficult it is. Congratulations for everything and the work you are doing with your team,” the Spaniard said after the match.

Reflecting on his performance in the final, Alcaraz remarked that he failed to come out on top in important moments and didn’t make the most of the ample opportunities at his disposal.

“I would say that the important moments, the important points, I didn’t play well. I think I had so many opportunities in the match that I didn’t take it. So many games, points, so many 15/30, Love/30. I think the first tie-break, I didn’t play well and I think he just played unbelievable tennis when it mattered. I think that was the key today.”

This was Sinner’s fourth victory over Alcaraz in the final of a tournament and his seventh against him overall. Though the latter still leads the H2H record by 10-7, Sinner will surpass him soon if it continues to go like this.

The two will next be in action at the Madrid Masters that will commence from April 22. While Sinner will have an opportunity of securing a fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title, Alcaraz will be under pressure to deliver in his home event. Who do you think will clinch the crown in the Spanish capital?