Sinner Regains Top Spot in the World Rankings After Victory in Monte Carlo

Jannik Sinner has reclaimed his position as world No 1 after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets during the Monte-Carlo Masters final. Sinner effectively managed the windy conditions in Monaco, outperforming his opponent to secure a 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 win and claim the top spot in the ATP rankings from Alcaraz for the first time since November 2025. The match was marked by twists and turns as Sinner overcame a second-set deficit, and he will now strive to maintain his world No 1 status in the lead-up to the French Open next month. This victory marks Sinner's first win over Alcaraz on clay since 2022 and extends his impressive 22-match unbeaten streak at Masters tournaments, the level below Grand Slams. Sinner expressed his excitement, stating, 'The result is amazing. Returning to No 1 means a lot to me.' He also joins Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the only men to have won four consecutive ATP 1000 titles. Alcaraz congratulated Sinner, saying, 'It's impressive what you are achieving right now. Winning the Sunshine Double and Monte-Carlo is incredible. Congratulations on the work you're doing with your team.' The 17th professional meeting between tennis' current superstars will not be remembered as a classic due to both players struggling in the windy and overcast conditions. Alcaraz started strong, breaking Sinner immediately, but Sinner recovered to 2-2. Neither player could break each other for the remainder of the close first set, despite Sinner having break point opportunities in the fifth and ninth games. At 6-5 up, Alcaraz was within two points of the set, but Sinner's strong serving got him out of trouble, and he made the crucial first break in the tie-break. After squandering his first set point opportunity, a double fault from Alcaraz handed the opening set to Sinner after 74 minutes. It seemed like Alcaraz would mount a comeback when he broke early in the second set, but the Australian Open champion struggled to hold serve, and Sinner capitalized on several errors from Alcaraz to get back to 3-3. Sinner went on to win the next three games as Alcaraz became frustrated, and Sinner finally gained the upper hand to seal his first Monte-Carlo Masters title. Alcaraz and Sinner will now decide if they play again this week in Barcelona, where Britain's Jack Draper will be in action, before ATP 1000 events in Madrid and Rome follow in the run-up to the French Open at the end of May. In other news, Mirra Andreeva won the Linz Open on Sunday with a 1-6 6-4 6-3 victory over Anastasia Potapova. Andreeva had to rally from a set down to claim her second WTA title and fourth of her career. 'I was struggling a lot on how to find a solution to play against you today. You're an amazing fighter and an even better person,' Andreeva told Potapova during the presentation ceremony. Potapova, who switched allegiance to Austria in December, said, 'Playing here for the first time as an Austrian means the world to me. The support I was getting this week from the crowd, I never had it in my life. I am really thankful.' 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 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost.