ATP Tour Recap (Edition #5)

Monte Carlo (ATP 1000)

Champion: Stefanos Tsitsipas [12] (11th career title)

Runner-Up: Casper Ruud [8]

Final Summary:

• Tsitsipas def. Ruud 6-1 6-4 in the final, with the match lasting 1 hour and 36 minutes.

• Tsitsipas breezed through 5 out of the 6 opponents he faced this week in relatively straightforward fashion. The lone battle he had was a gutsy semi-final victory over Jannik Sinner [2] 6-4 3-6 6-4, which was an especially impressive win given that Sinner has been the strongest player on tour so far this season.

• Ruud's run to the final was highlighted by a semi-final upset of Novak Djokovic [1] 6-4 1-6 6-4. Ruud was previously 0-5 against Djokovic, and had not managed to win a single set in those encounters.

• Tsitsipas (2021) and Ruud (2022, 20223) are both former finalists at the French Open who are most comfortable on clay courts; this result in a highly competitive ATP 1000 field here in Monte Carlo will give both of them confidence that they might be able to capture their first Grand Slam at Roland Garros next month if they remain in strong form.

Other Tournament Notes:

• Daniil Medvedev [4] was upset in the Round of 16 by Karen Khachanov [15] 6-3 7-5. Medvedev has been open about his difficulties playing on clay, but this is a disappointing result nonetheless because the match was relatively one-sided and Khachanov is not considered to be particularly strong on clay himself.

• Carlos Alcaraz, who would have been seeded 3rd in the tournament, was a late withdrawal due to an arm injury. He also withdrew from the upcoming ATP 500 event in Barcelona, where he would have been seeded 1st.