Alcaraz Faces Pressure from Sinner in Bid to Retain World No 1 Spot

"My number one ranking is under threat" - Carlos Alcaraz acknowledges that his position at the top is in jeopardy as Jannik Sinner closes in at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Sinner made a strong return to European clay courts, winning his 18th consecutive match and 36th successive set at Masters 1000 level with a convincing victory. Following his impressive 'Sunshine Double' wins in Indian Wells and Miami without dropping a set, the 24-year-old carried his momentum onto clay with a confident 6-3 6-0 win over Ugo Humbert in just 61 minutes. The current rankings are: 1. Carlos Alcaraz - 2950, 2. Jannik Sinner - 2900, and 3. Daniil Medvedev - 1700. Sinner continued his pursuit of a first Masters 1000 title on clay in impressive fashion, dispatching Humbert with a speed that would have likely impressed Olympic sprint legend Usain Bolt, who was in attendance. "It was a solid performance from me," Sinner said. "You need to adapt your game style and approach to certain situations on clay. "The first tournament on clay is never easy, but I came here feeling good, albeit with limited expectations." Alcaraz sealed a 6-1 6-3 opening-round win against Sebastian Baez in just 69 minutes, equalling his longest clay-court winning streak, which he set in 2022. "It's been a great start to the tournament for me," Alcaraz said. "Honestly, I surprised myself with my level of play. I thought I'd struggle a bit more, but I'm happy with my performance today. "I could have done a few things better in the second set, but overall, I'm just happy to be playing on clay again." Alcaraz is aware that Sinner could potentially replace him as world No 1 next Monday. "I will eventually lose my number one ranking," Alcaraz said. "I don't know if it will be this tournament or another, but I'm defending a lot of points, which will be tough to retain. Even if I do, Sinner will likely gain points. "My focus is on playing my best and seeing what happens. The number one spot isn't on my mind right now; I'm just trying to find my rhythm on clay." Alcaraz expressed surprise that Sinner chose to compete, given his recent 'Sunshine Double' win. "If he decided to play, it means he's feeling physically and mentally strong, and he's excited to be here," Alcaraz said. "However, I was surprised because he's had a lot of matches in the last month, and he's also playing doubles. He adapted incredibly well to the clay surface in a short amount of time." British No 1 Cameron Norrie suffered a second-round exit after a three-set defeat to fifth seed Alex De Minaur. After losing a tight opening set in a tie-break, Norrie won five consecutive games to force a decider. However, De Minaur broke serve twice at the start of the final set, ultimately winning 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 6-2.