Carlos Alcaraz just won his first Monte-Carlo match ever – and it wasn’t easy
Would you believe one of tennis’s biggest stars had never won a match at Monte-Carlo until now? Despite being a four-time Grand Slam champion and winning five ATP Masters 1000 titles, Carlos Alcaraz just secured his first victory at the prestigious clay tournament this week.
It’s not that he’s struggled in Monaco. He’s barely played there.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz | 22 | 68,791 | 25 - 5 |
Alcaraz had only entered the tournament once before, back in 2022, when American Sebastian Korda knocked him out in his opening match after a first-round bye.
This year marked just his second appearance at Monte-Carlo, and he tried to keep expectations low before the tournament began.
He had good reason to be cautious. His first opponent was Francisco Cerundolo, a clay-court specialist who entered the draw as the third highest-ranked player without a seed.
Cerundolo quickly showed why Alcaraz was right to be concerned.
After falling behind early, the Argentinian found his rhythm and turned a 1-2 deficit into a commanding 5-2 lead. He closed out the first set 6-3, putting the Spanish superstar in serious trouble.
Alcaraz needed to respond fast.
The pressure only intensified when he faced two break points in the opening game of the second set. But the 21-year-old showed why he’s been ranked world No. 1, fighting off those break points and then immediately breaking Cerundolo to go up 2-0.
After saving two more break points to hold for 3-0, something clicked.
What happened next was stunning. Alcaraz completely dominated, winning the second set 6-0 and forcing a decider.
The momentum shift was dramatic.
Riding high on confidence, Alcaraz never looked back. He didn’t face a single break point in the final set and broke Cerundolo twice to close out the match 3-6, 6-0, 6-1.
First Monte-Carlo win: check.
The young Spaniard will now prepare for his third-round match against Daniel Altmaier.
After the match, Alcaraz couldn’t hide his excitement about returning to clay, even signing the camera with a message expressing his joy. When asked about his favorite surface, he made a surprising admission.
"I think I’m gonna put it first," Alcaraz said about clay courts. "I just missed the clay season. I haven’t played on clay since the Olympics. I love this part of the year. I love watching the matches here on clay. I love playing here on clay."
"I grew up playing on this surface," he added. "I’m gonna put it as number one."
Coming from someone who’s won major titles on all surfaces, that’s quite a statement as the clay court season heats up.
