Alcaraz, Musetti Set Up Monte-Carlo Masters Title Showdown

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (photo: ATP Tour video)

MONTE-CARLO/WASHINGTON, April 12, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

A touch of Spain could be felt throughout the Monte-Carlo Country Club Saturday afternoon, site of the Rolex Monte-Carlos Masters event, in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France.

In the first semifinal of the first Masters 1000 on clay this season, World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz met former finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in an all-Spanish semifinal – the first all-Spanish ATP Masters 1000 semifinal since Rafael Nadal defeated Alcaraz at Indian Wells in 2022.

Since then, Alcaraz has compiled an impressive 13-0 win-loss record against fellow Spaniards.

With Alcaraz safely through to Sunday’s title match, following his 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over Davidovich Fokina in two hours and nine minutes before a capacity crowd of 10,200 fans that filled Court Rainier III on a cloudy afternoon, it will keep a Spanish presence in Sunday’s final – 22 of 35 Monte-Carlo finals – since the tournament became an ATP Masters 1000 event in 1990. Alcaraz is the 12th different Spanish finalist in the Principality.

Although Alcaraz, 21, played shaky at times, he maintained an upper hand against the 25-year-old Davidovich Fokina throughout much of their semifinal and secured his 19th victory of the season in his 23rd match of 2025. It took six match-points, after four earlier ones came and went during a lengthy and arduous 11-minute ninth game of the second set. Alcaraz finally won the semifinal on his serve with a seventh-shot forehand winner, his 21st winner of the match. All was good between the two Spaniards as they met at the net, smiled, and shared a warm embrace.

“It’s been a long time,” Alcaraz said during his on-court interview with ATP Media, speaking of the 13-month gap since his last ATP Masters 1000 finals appearance. “I just had to be patient and believe that this moment was going to come again. Sometimes the people are not patient, they want me to make the final in every tournament. I’m really happy to give them the chance to watch one of my finals again.”

Davidovich Fokina, who began the week ranked 42nd, will move up to No. 30 in the PIF ATP Rankings next week. Meanwhile, Alcaraz can surpass Alexander Zverev for World No. 2 if he win the Monte-Carlo Masters title.

On Sunday, Alcaraz will play Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, who defeated Alex de Minaur of Australia, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4), in two hours and 38 minutes played in a light rain that fell during the last two sets.

It will be Alcaraz’s first ATP Masters 1000 final since Indian Wells in 2024, 13 months ago. By reaching his third consecutive clay-court final after winning Roland-Garros and earning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics Games last year, Alcaraz will pass Jannik Sinner to No. 1 on the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin and tie David Ferrer for second-most ATP Masters 1000 finals (seven) among Spaniards.

Musetti wins thrilling third-set tie-break over de Minaur

Meanwhile, after two and one-half hours of scintillating tennis filled with plenty of drama, the second semifinal came down to a third-set tie-break to decide its outcome. After World No. 10 de Minaur dominated the opening set, Musetti remained determined and leveled the match to send it to a decider. With the stakes high and the pressure mounting, the two competitors exchanged a combined four service breaks in the third set and it was only fitting that it would take a tiebreaker to determine the winner after Musetti failed to serve out the win at 5-3 in the third set.

At 3-all in the tie-break, Musetti hit a forehand winner for 4-3, then de Minaur countered with a cross-court volley winner at the net, stretched to the maximum as he hit his return, for 4-all. Next, Musetti gained a mini-break for 5-4 when de Minaur sailed a 17th-shot forehand past the baseline. Soon, he gained a match point after de Minaur hit an inside-out forehand wide right. Finally, at 6-4, Musetti prevailed after de Minaur netted a 12th-shot forehand return and the celebration was on for Musetti, who resides in Monaco, as the crowd cheered “Lo-ren-zo, Lo-ren-zo!” In unison.

The victory, which showed the 23-year-old Musetti’s resilience and spirit, was the biggest of his pro career – and with it there were just a few tears shed by his team. Like Friday night, the world No. 16 Musetti shared a hug and kiss with his longtime partner, Veronica Confalonieri, and there were plenty of hugs for his coach, Simone Tartarini after he raced over to greet them on the sidelines.

“The confidence is something that you have to experience to believe,” Musetti said during his on-court interview with ATP Media after earning his 10th career Top-10 victory and second in two days. “It is something really remarkable, sharing these beautiful moments with my friends and family. It is my home and I feel at home.”

Although Musetti won only 60 percent of his first-serve points, he finished with 20 winners to 43 unforced errors, compared to 23 winners and 45 unforced errors by de Minaur. Musetti converted five of nine break points, and was outpointed his opponent 98-89.

“I always struggle to start and find a rhythm but today Alex was playing really solid and the conditions were hard,” Musetti said. “It was slow today with the rain and it was not easy to break through the Alex wall. I started to be more patient and that was the key.”

Musetti, playing in only his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal of his career, became the third Italian Monte-Carlo finalist in the Open Era after Corrado Barazzutti in 1977 and Fabio Fognini in 2019. He improved to 14-2 on clay since last July, highlighted by his bronze medal finish at the Paris Olympic Games and his run to the final at Umag. It was also Musetti’s second career win over de Minaur in three meetings.

After defeating three-time Monte-Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the quarterfinals on Friday to advance to his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal, Musetti finds himself just one victory away from winning his third tour-level title trophy – and first since 2022 – when he faces Alcaraz. The Spaniard leads in the head-to-head with Musetti 3-1. They’ve split two matches on clay.

Around the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters 

Wild cards Romain Arneodo of Monaco and Manuel Guinard of France advanced to the doubles final with a 6-4, 7-5 upset of No. 2 seeds Harri Heliovaara of Finland and Henry Patten of Great Britain on Court Rainier III Saturday.

The Monegasque/French duo won 71 percent of their first-serve points, saved eight of nine break points, broke their opponents’ serve three times in seven tries and outpointed them 69-62 during the 89-minute semifinal match.

Arneodo and Guinard could make history on Sunday if they win. It would mark the first time that a Monegasque player has won a title in the tournament’s 57-year existence.

In Sunday’s final, Arneodo and Guinard will face No. 7 seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool of Great Britain, who upset No. 1 seeds Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Mate Pavic of Croatia, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (5), 10-6, in an hour and 55 minutes.

Sunday final moved to new time due to rain threat

The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters singles final will take place at noon local time (11 a.m. London, 6 a.m. New York) Sunday, three hours earlier than its original time, due to a threat of heavy rain that is forecast. The tournament officials announced the decision on Friday after consulting with ATP officials, according to the ATP Tour website.

Sunday’s single final between Alcaraz and Musetti will produce a first-time Monte-Carlo champion.

Sunday’s doubles final has been rescheduled to start after the singles final.

Saturday’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters results

Sunday’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters order of play

By the numbers

• Lorenzo Musetti is the seventh different ATP Masters 1000 finalist born in the 2000s and the third Italian finalist on clay in an ATP Masters 1000 joining Fabio Fognini and Matteo Berrettini.

• The last time there was an all-Spanish semifinal for an ATP Masters 1000 tournament was 2022 at Indian Wells, when Rafael Nadal opposed Carlos Alcaraz.

• If Carlos Alcaraz wins his first Monte-Carlo Masters title on Sunday – which would be a sixth Masters 1000 crown – he will move past Alexander Zverev for World No. 2 when the PIF ATP Rankings are updated on Monday. By reaching the title match, Alcaraz has moved it out No. 1 in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, bypassing Jannik Sinner.

“Quotable …”

“I think I played really good tennis from the beginning until the last point. I tried to take the chances he gave me in the match. He saved a lot of break points and match points, but I’m really happy to [have] thought about myself. The most important thing is that I’m feeling great physically.”

– No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz, during his on-court interview with ATP Media, following his straight-set semifinal victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Saturday.

 

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