Alcaraz Faces Pressure from Sinner in World No 1 Bid as Norrie Exits in Monte-Carlo

Carlos Alcaraz has acknowledged that his grip on the world's top ranking is under threat from Jannik Sinner, who is hot on his heels at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Sinner made a strong return to European clay, securing his 18th consecutive match win and 36th successive set at Masters 1000 level with a confident victory over Ugo Humbert. The Italian, who recently completed the 'Sunshine Double' without dropping a set, carried his momentum onto clay with a 6-3, 6-0 win. Sinner is now pursuing his first Masters 1000 crown on clay and impressed with the speed of his win, which would have likely caught the attention of Olympic sprint star Usain Bolt, who was in attendance. Alcaraz, meanwhile, sealed a 6-1, 6-3 opening-round win against Sebastian Baez, equalling his longest win streak on clay. Despite his strong start, Alcaraz is aware that Sinner has the chance to replace him as world No 1 next Monday. 'I'm going to lose the number one spot at some point,' Alcaraz said. 'I don't know if it's going to be at this tournament or another one. I'm defending a lot of points that will be difficult to defend.' British No 1 Cameron Norrie suffered a second-round exit, losing to fifth seed Alex De Minaur in three sets. Norrie won five games in a row to force a decider but was ultimately broken twice at the start of the final set, with De Minaur progressing 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 6-2.