Jannik Sinner reclaimed the world number one ranking by overpowering Carlos Alcaraz to win the Monte-Carlo Masters final.
The 24-year-old Italian ground his way to a 7-6 (5) 6-3 win in difficult conditions as the top two players in men's tennis met on clay for the first time since last year’s epic French Open final, which Alcaraz won in five sets.
Ultimately it was Sinner who dealt better with the swirling wind in Monaco on Sunday to extend his winning run at Masters 1000 level to 22 matches and reduce his head-to-head deficit with the Spaniard to 10-7.
Alcaraz raced into a 2-0 first-set lead, holding comfortably in the opening game before converting his first break point in the second, during which he produced two fine forehands as Sinner struggled to land his first serve.
However, the Italian broke back instantly and Alcaraz had to survive break points in the fifth and ninth games as Sinner piled on the pressure in an error-strewn first set which went to a tie-break.
Alcaraz was first to falter as his opponent, who had belatedly found a serving rhythm, established a 5-2 lead only to put a forehand into the net on set point, but perhaps fittingly, he eventually took it 7-5 courtesy of a double-fault.
Alcaraz was unable to convert either of the two break points he earned in the opening game of the second set to let Sinner off the hook, but he levelled in the next and then did make the pressure tell to go a break up.
But Sinner continued to pressurise the 22-year-old’s service and eventually broke back at the third time of asking in the sixth game.
He then repeated the feat two games later to establish a 5-3 lead which he never looked like surrendering as he served out to claim the win in two hours and 15 minutes.
