Jannik Sinner claimed his maiden ATP Masters 1000 clay-court title on Sunday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, defeating long-time rival and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(5), 6-3 in challenging, windy conditions at the Monte-Carlo Country Club on Sunday.

The high-profile final marked the pair’s first meeting since November, when Sinner also prevailed in the Nitto ATP Finals championship match. Once again, the stakes were significant, with both the Monte-Carlo crown and the World No. 1 ranking on the line.

The second-seeded Italian capitalized on three of his 11 break-point chances and won 53 per cent of the total points played to prevail after two hours and 15 minutes.

THE MOMENT JANNIK WAS CROWNED CHAMPION! 👑 @janniksin defeats Alcaraz 7-6(5) 6-3 to lift his maiden clay-court Masters 1000 title and will return to the world No.1 spot on Monday!#RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/gZhFpMweO5

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 12, 2026

“I felt close on the return games and I just tried to stay there mentally,” Sinner said. “I tried to keep pushing. I felt a bit tired, so I tried to keep the right mentality, so having this trophy means a lot to me.”

Sinner became only the second player, alongside Novak Djokovic in 2015, to win the Miami Open and Monte-Carlo back-to-back. With the triumph, the 24-year-old will also return to world No. 1 in the ATP Rankings on Monday for the first time this year.

“We came here trying to get as many matches as possible, getting good feedback before other big tournaments coming up. Today was a high level from both of us,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “It was a bit windy, a bit breezy. Different conditions from what the tournament has brought. The result is amazing. Getting back to No. 1 means a lot for me… I am very happy to win a big title on this surface. I haven’t done it before and it means a lot to me.”