Carlos Alcaraz Eager for Victory Against Lorenzo Musetti at Monte Carlo Masters

Carlos Alcaraz is thrilled to face Lorenzo Musetti in the Monte Carlo Masters final, saying he “cannot wait to try my luck again” on the clay courts. Fresh off a victory, Alcaraz, who claimed the French Open title, defeated fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina with a score of 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 on Saturday. This win marks his first entry into a Masters 1000 final in over a year. Meanwhile, Italy’s Musetti, who clinched Olympic bronze on Roland Garros clay, staged a comeback to defeat Australia’s Alex de Minaur 1-6 6-4 7-6 (7-4) in their semi-final match.

Alcaraz boasts an impressive 16-1 singles record on clay since the previous year’s French Open, with his only loss coming from Novak Djokovic. “It’s been too long since I’ve had the chance to win on clay, and I’m eager to seize that opportunity now,” the 21-year-old expressed. “I just needed to stay patient and trust that this moment would arrive again. “It’s tough when people expect me to reach the final in every tournament.” A four-time major champion, Alcaraz has experienced a mixed start to the current season. While victorious at the Rotterdam Open, he faced unexpected defeats during the hard-court stretch.

In Monte Carlo, as the world number three, Alcaraz started strong against Davidovich Fokina, securing an early break. He faltered while serving for the set at 5-3, allowing Davidovich Fokina to push the opener to a tie-break, where Alcaraz prevailed. He gained an early break in the second set and maintained his lead, outscoring Davidovich Fokina with 21 winners to 19, advancing to his first Masters final since Indian Wells in 2024.

On the other side, Musetti, after preventing Stefanos Tsitsipas from defending his title in the quarter-finals, struggled with his shots in the initial set against De Minaur. Nevertheless, he secured a crucial break in the second set as rain began to fall, exploiting his one-handed backhand to force a final set. Musetti gained another break, allowing him to serve for the match at 5-4. De Minaur, noted for his defensive prowess, broke back to push the match into a tie-break. Yet, Musetti remained composed, dominating the tie-break and advancing to the most significant final of his career as De Minaur mishit his forehand into the net.