Carlos Alcaraz cuts gap on Jannik Sinner in ATP Rankings, climbs to World No. 2 after Monte Carlo title | Tennis News
Carlos Alcaraz had an outstanding start to his clay-court season last week, clinching the Monte Carlo title on Sunday for the first time in his career.
After missing this Masters 1000 event last year, he earned the full 1,000 ranking points when he beat Lorenzo Musetti in the final, elevating his total from 6,720 to 7,720 points.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
As a result, Alcaraz moves one place in the latest ATP rankings (April1 4), moving up from No. 3 to No. 2, surpassing Alexander Zverev, who lost his first match in Monte Carlo this year. Zverev’s ranking points drop from 7,645 to 7,595, causing him to fall one place.
This marks Alcaraz’s first return to the Top 2 since October 28 last year, when he was also ranked No. 2; he had spent 23 consecutive weeks at No. 3 since then. Overall, this is his 89th week in the Top 2, with 36 weeks at No. 1 and 53 weeks at No. 2.
Alcaraz also narrows the gap between him and current No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who is suspended presently, from 3,610 points (10,330 to 6,720) to 2,210 points (9,930 to 7,720).
Sinner missed Monte Carlo while defending semi-final points as he serves a three-month suspension for two failed dope tests last year. Although Alcaraz can’t overtake him before Sinner returns on the tour in Rome, winning both Barcelona and Madrid in the coming weeks could reduce that gap to just 720 points, putting the No. 1 ranking within reach in Italy.
In addition to Alcaraz and Zverev’s place swap, there was movement elsewhere in the ATP Top 10: Alex de Minaur made the biggest jump, climbing from No. 10 to No. 7 — just one spot shy of his career-high of No. 6 — after reaching the semifinals of his second Masters 1000 event.
Andrey Rublev also rose from No. 9 back to No. 8, while Daniil Medvedev returned to the Top 10 after being outside for two weeks, moving from No. 11 to No. 9. This marked the 2021 US Open champion’s first absence from the elite group in over two years, dating back to February 2023.
Meanwhile, Musetti closed in on a Top 10 debut, climbing from No. 16 to No. 11 — surpassing his previous career – high of No. 15 — after reaching the finals of his first Masters 1000 event. He’s now just 15 points behind the No. 10-ranked Ruud, with scores of 3,215 to 3,200.
Alcaraz wins Monte Carlo Masters
“I’m just really happy to have won Monte Carlo for the first time,” Alcaraz said. “It’s been a really difficult week with a lot of difficult situations. I’m really proud of myself, how I’ve dealt with everything. It’s been a really difficult month for me on the court and outside. Coming here and seeing how the whole hard work has paid off, I’m really happy.”
This victory represents Alcaraz’s first clay court success since his French Open triumph last season, with his only other clay court appearance resulting in a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
Musetti, appearing in his first Masters 1000 final after defeating top 10 players Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur, started strongly but faced physical challenges as the match progressed.
The Italian received medical treatment for his right leg when trailing 0-3 in the final set, though he continued to play despite the injury.
“It is not the way I would have wanted to win a match,” Alcaraz said. “Lorenzo’s been through a really tough week, long and intense matches. I feel sorry for him, one of the best results he has done. To end like this is not easy. Hopefully it’s not serious and he’s 100 percent soon.”
“It was probably one of my best tournaments so far,” Musetti said, who won bronze at last year’s Olympics behind Alcaraz and gold medalist Novak Djokovic. “I’m disappointed I couldn’t finish the match in the best way, for the crowd. You deserve it so I will keep going and try and come back for revenge.”
The match began with Musetti dropping his opening service game but immediately breaking back and taking the first set, capitalising on Alcaraz’s six unforced errors.
Alcaraz’s game improved significantly in the second set, which he won convincingly before completing the victory with a dominant final set.
Both players will continue their clay court preparations at the Barcelona Open next week as they build toward the French Open at the end of May.
Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don’t miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.
