Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner won the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 today, defeating Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets in the final of the Monaco tournament, a result that will allow him to regain the world number one ranking.
Sinner, ranked number two in the world, defeated the current ATP leader—who was defending the title he won last year in Monte Carlo—by 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 after two hours and 15 minutes of play on the clay court.
The 24-year-old Italian claimed the 27th title of his career—but only his first major title on clay—achieving his 22nd consecutive win in Masters-level tournaments, a streak that also includes victories at the Paris Masters in 2025, and Indian Wells and Miami in 2026.
“This result is incredible. And returning to world number one means a lot to me… I’m very happy to win such an important title on this surface, as I had never done it before,” Sinner said.
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In addition to the trophy, Alcaraz also lost the world number one ranking, which he had held for 22 consecutive weeks after overtaking Sinner in November 2025, making the Italian the first from his country to reach the top of the world tennis rankings.
The victory in the first 2026 meeting between the two best players in the world went to Sinner, who reduced the head-to-head gap: he now has seven wins to Alcaraz’s ten.
The first set, affected by strong winds, was closely contested and decided in a tiebreak in favor of the Italian. In the second set, after Alcaraz briefly broke Sinner’s serve, the Italian responded with two breaks and closed out the match.
