MONTE CARLO: Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a sluggish start to overpower Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 on Sunday and claim his first Monte Carlo Masters title, his biggest win since lif ting the Wimbledon trophy in 2024.

After a disappointing North American swing in March, where he lost early in Miami and fell in the semi-finals at Indian Wells, the 21-year-old Spaniard roared back to form on clay, clinching his sixth Masters 1000 crown and 10th major title overall including four Grand Slams.

`Pm just really happy to have won Monte Carlo for the first time,` said Alcaraz who lost in his first match on his only previous appearance at the tournament in 2022.

`It`s been a really difficult week with a lot of difficult situations. Pm really proud of myself, how Pve dealt with everything. It`s been a really difficult month for me on the court and outside. Coming here and seeing how the whole hard work has paid off, Pm really happy.

On a grey afternoon on Court Rainier III overlooking the Mediterranean sea, Alcaraz initially appeared outofsorts.

Musetti broke twice early and capitalised on 11 unforced errors from Alcaraz`s forehand to take the opening set. The Italians variety and court craft gave him the edge against a hesitant opponent struggling to find his rhythm.

But momentum shifted in the second set.

Alcaraz began to strike with more authority and cleaned up his ground strokes, breaking twice to bag five consecutive games, completely flipping the script.

Musetti, who had played several long matches earlier in the week, began to fade physically under the Spaniards relentless pace, poise and power.

The final set was a one-sided affair.

Alcaraz broke in the opening game and raced to a 3-0 lead, at which point Musetti received a medical timeout for treatment on his right thigh.

From there, the Spaniard did not look bacl<, closing out the match with clinical efficiency with Musetti managing just eight points in the final set.

Alcaraz`s victory in Monte Carlo allows him to surpass Alexander Zverev, reclaiming the world number two spot in the ATP rankings and moving to the top of the 2025 ATP Race, ahead of Jannil( Sinner.-Agencies