Sinner snatches Monte Carlo and the No.1 ranking from Alcaraz in their first battle of 2026

On a windy afternoon, Italy's Jannik Sinner conquered the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 on Sunday by defeating defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final, dethroning the Spaniard from world No.1.

The 24-year-old Italian won 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in two hours, 15 minutes against Alcaraz in their first meeting since the start of the season and for the seventh time in their head-to-head duels (the Spaniard leads 10-7).

"We came here trying to play as many matches as possible, gaining good feelings before the other big tournaments coming up. Today the level of both of us was very high," Sinner said.

"It was a little windy, a slight breeze. Different conditions than the tournament has offered. The result is unbelievable. To be back at No. 1 means a lot to me..... I'm very happy to win a big title on this surface, I haven't done it before and it means a lot," he added.

"It's awesome what you're accomplishing right now," Alcaraz told Sinner during the trophy ceremony.

Sinner, at the table with Nadal and Djokovic

Sinner adds his third consecutive Masters 1000 in 2026 after winning at Indian Wells and Miami, so he has captured every title in this category (just behind the Grand Slams) contested this season, the first to do so since Djokovic in 2015.

The Italian joins the Serb and Rafael Nadal as the third tennis player to win four consecutive ATP 1000 titles, having also won in Paris at the end of last year.

It was the first meeting between Sinner and Alcaraz since the Italian won the ATP Finals in November, also the first on clay since the historic Roland Garros 2025 final, when the Spaniard came from three match balls down to lift the trophy in five sets and five hours and 29 minutes of play.

27th title for Sinner

Sinner, who has 17 consecutive victories, will return to the top of the rankings on Monday for the first time this year. It was the Italian's 27th career title and his first in a major clay-court tournament.

His winning streak stands at 22 straight wins at tournaments in this category thanks to his title in Paris last fall.

It was after his crowning in the French capital indoors that he regained the world No. 1 ranking from Alcaraz, before giving it back to him a few days later at the inaugural Turin Masters in mid-November, where the Italian defeated him in the final. They had not met again since then.

This Sunday the first set was tightly contested with both players bothered by the uneven gusts of wind blowing over the Rainier III court.