April 11, (THEWILL) — Top seed, Carlos Alcaraz, moved into the Monte Carlo Masters final on Saturday, defeating home favourite, Valentin Vacherot, 6-4, 6-4 to set up a title decider against world number two Jannik Sinner.
Vacherot had been the story of the tournament. The 27-year-old Monegasque became the first player from the principality to reach the last four at the event, having beaten Lorenzo Musetti, Hubert Hurkacz and Alex de Minaur in succession. He had also made a notable run at the Shanghai Masters in October.
Alcaraz broke serve to lead 2-1 in the first set and closed it out with an ace. Vacherot rallied in the second, moving 4-3 ahead, before the Spaniard won three straight games to seal the match.
With the victory, Alcaraz became only the third player to reach 10 ATP 1000 finals before the age of 23, a feat previously achieved only by Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic since the format was introduced in 1990. Sunday’s final also carries additional weight, with the world number one ranking on the line.
“I think it’s the dream spot for everyone,” Alcaraz said. “I’m fighting for my second Monte Carlo title; Jannik’s fighting for his first one. It’s going to be a really special one. The world number one is on the line. That makes tomorrow even more special.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
