Stefanos Tsitsipas swept aside Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday to win the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters for the third time in four years, and then wept in his chair.
Tsitsipas sat holding his head in his hands, briefly crying as he took in his first title of the year and biggest tournament victory for two years.
“I’m very proud of myself today. I had been waiting for a moment like this for a long time,” the 12th-ranked Tsitsipas, who reached a career-high No. 3 ranking in 2021, said from Monaco. “I did not know what was going to happen this week.”
The big-serving Greek also won the title in 2021 and 2022 and this latest trophy at the Monte Carlo Country Club took him to 11 career titles overall.
“It has been very difficult, so to be back on the podium, winning tournaments, just feels amazing,” Tsitsipas said. “The third time is even more special than the first or second time. This is an unbelievable win for me. Capturing that win today was nerve-wracking, I really wanted this trinity.”
It was his first trophy since August last year, when he won a modest ATP 250-level tournament on outdoor hard courts at Los Cabos in Mexico.
This was much more prestigious and he shared a warm hug at the net with Ruud, who is chasing his first title of the year and remains stuck on 10 overall.
The match featured former French Open runner-ups and offered an early indication of form heading into the clay-court major at next month’s Roland Garros.
Tsitsipas was an outsider coming into this tournament, where he was seeded 12th.
But he got the better of Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, handing him only his second defeat of the season to set up a perhaps unexpected final against Ruud, who beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic in Saturday’s other semi.
Nervous-looking Ruud
Tsitsipas took an early control.
He broke Ruud’s serve and held for 3-1, then secured another break of serve when eighth-seeded Ruud flapped a loose forehand into the net from the back of the court. A nervous-looking Ruud double-faulted on set point.
Ruud improved in the second set and pressured Tsitsipas, who saved three break points and took 13 minutes to hold serve in a tough seventh game.
That seemed to be Ruud’s last chance while also summing up his erratic match, where he made too many unforced errors and failed to convert any of his eight break-point chances.
Tsitsipas hit an ace to win his next service game, leaving Ruud needing to hold serve to stay in the match.
An unforced error at 30-30 saw Ruud patting a straightforward-looking backhand long to offer Tsitsipas a first match point.
He seized the moment.
Tsitsipas dominated a brief rally and clinched victory with a forehand winner, then slid on his back with his arms outstretched and put his hands on his face.
“I managed the point relatively well and finished it with the winner,” Tsitsipas said.
Tsitsipas will improve to No. 7 when the ATP rankings are released on Monday.
French Open prep on hold
Carlos Alcaraz pulled out of the Barcelona Open with the same injury in his right forearm that kept him out of the Monte Carlo Masters, leaving his French Open preparation on hold.
Alcaraz is a two-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1-ranked player who is currently No. 3.
The 20-year-old from Spain won the title at the clay-court Barcelona Open in 2022 and 2023.
He hasn’t played in a tournament since losing to Grigor Dimitrov in the Miami Open quarterfinals last month.
Alcaraz won the U.S. Open in 2022 and Wimbledon last year. His lone trophy so far this season came in March at Indian Wells, Calif.
The French Open begins May 26. Alcaraz reached the semifinals there last year before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
Nadal drawn against Cobolli in Spain
Rafael Nadal was drawn to face Flavio Cobolli at the Barcelona Open in what would be the Spaniard’s first clay-court appearance this year in the buildup to the French Open.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion had hip surgery last summer and this year has played only three competitive matches — in Brisbane before skipping the Australian Open.
The 37-year-old Nadal pulled out of the Monte Carlo Masters before it started because of a lingering injury, saying ” my body simply won’t allow me.”
Nadal, a 12-time champion in Barcelona, has not confirmed he will play but he spoke at the draw ceremony ahead of the first round next week. He said, “I’m happy to be here,” but didn’t commit to playing.
In early March, Nadal played an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas but days later pulled out of the Indian Wells tournament.
Nadal has won a record 14 times at the French Open.