Sinner Regains Top Spot in ATP Rankings with Monte Carlo Victory

Following his triumph over Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte-Carlo Masters final, Jannik Sinner has reclaimed the world No 1 spot. Sinner outperformed Alcaraz in challenging weather conditions, securing a 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 victory to claim the top position in the ATP rankings for the first time since November 2025. Although the match did not reach the same heights as some of the duo's previous encounters, it was marked by several twists and turns. Sinner overcame a deficit in the second set and will now aim to maintain his world No 1 status ahead of the French Open next month. This win marked Sinner's first victory over Alcaraz on clay since 2022 and extended his unbeaten streak at Masters tournaments to 22 matches. Sinner joins an elite group of players, including Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, as one of the few men to have won four consecutive ATP 1000 titles. "The outcome is fantastic, and returning to the No 1 spot means a great deal to me," Sinner said. "However, the ranking is secondary; I'm thrilled to have won a major trophy on this surface for the first time, which holds significant value for me." Alcaraz congratulated Sinner on his achievement, saying, "Your current accomplishments are impressive. Winning the Sunshine Double and Monte-Carlo is incredible; congratulations on the work you and your team are doing." The 17th meeting between tennis' current superstars will not be remembered as a classic, as both players struggled with the windy and overcast conditions. Alcaraz started strongly, breaking Sinner immediately, but the latter quickly leveled the score at 2-2. Neither player was able to gain a decisive advantage in the first set, despite Sinner having break point opportunities in the fifth and ninth games. At 6-5 up, Alcaraz was on the verge of winning the set but Sinner's strong serving helped him escape trouble, and he eventually won the tie-break. Although he squandered his first set point opportunity, a double fault from Alcaraz handed Sinner the opening set after 74 minutes. It seemed like Alcaraz was poised to mount a comeback when he broke early in the second set. However, the Australian Open champion struggled to hold serve, and Sinner capitalized on Alcaraz's errors to level the score at 3-3. Sinner went on to win the next three games, taking advantage of Alcaraz's frustration and the variability in his play to secure his first Monte-Carlo Masters title. Alcaraz and Sinner will now decide whether to face each other again in Barcelona, where Britain's Jack Draper will also be in action, before the ATP 1000 events in Madrid and Rome lead up to the French Open at the end of May. Mirra Andreeva won the Linz Open on Sunday with a 1-6 6-4 6-3 victory over Anastasia Potapova. The Russian came back from a set down to claim her second WTA title and fourth of her career. "I struggled to find a solution to play against you today. You're an amazing fighter and an even better person," Andreeva said to Potapova during the presentation ceremony. In December, the 25-year-old Potapova switched allegiance to Austria. She stated, "Playing here for the first time as an Austrian means the world to me. The support I received from the crowd this week was unprecedented, and I'm truly grateful." Watch the ATP and WTA Tours live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 percent more live sports this year at no extra cost.