(Tennis news) Stefanos Tsitsipas defended his Monte Carlo Masters title after winning against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 7-6 (7-3) in a little over 90 minutes, moving the Greek player into second in the ATP Race to Turin. His opponent, Davidovich Fokina knocked out Novak Djokovic and Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz in the earlier rounds, and had the better start in the finals, leading 2-1 against the reigning champion. 

However, the world number 46 surrendered his serve in the next game, which allowed Tsitsipas to take control of the match and the Greek player subsequently went a set up in just 31 minutes after an almost perfect display. Tsitsipas capitalised on a tie-break to secure the win and get his eighth career title while Davidovich Fokina struggled to deal with his backhand. Speaking after the match, Tsitsipas said “I am very proud of myself. Things weren't going well at one point, but I managed to stay composed to finish the match off. I am really proud of the belief I put in my game. Sometimes you doubt yourself, but it is always important to keep your head high."

In other results, Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram defeated Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-4 3-6 10-7 to cement their place as the top-ranked doubles pairing in the world. At 29, Salisbury reached the Number 1 spot in rankings for the first time on Monday. Speaking after the match, Salisbury said “It's unbelievable. I'm so happy right now. It's a first title on clay together, on a surface that we always thought was a weaker one for us. [We have] not done too well here before, but we've been working really hard, and we knew we could play well. [I am] just so happy that it's come together and to get the win here."

Tsitsipas will now turn his attention to the Barcelona Open where he reached the final in 2021. He could face Grigor Dimitrov in the third round while Carlos Alcaraz could be a potential opponent in the quarter-finals. The bottom half of the draw will feature the likes of Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime and their opponents could be Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Bublik respectively.

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