Carlos Alcaraz swiftly shook off a sluggish start on Wednesday to record his first ever win at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
The 21-year-old showcased his strategic brilliance in a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory over Francisco Cerundolo to reach the third round at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Alcaraz’s shift to a more aggressive return position between the opening two sets, which accounted for a 44 per cent increase in first-serve returns landed, was instrumental in his one-hour, 37-minute comeback.
“I didn’t start well. I made a lot of mistakes and I let him play inside the court, dominating the points,” said Alcaraz, who improved to 16-4 in 2025. “I just knew that I had to do something else, play more aggressively, and play my own tennis: drop shots, going to the net and more aggression. The most important change was the return, I tried to return closer to the line and push him.”
Awaiting Alcaraz, the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, in the third round is Daniel Altmaier. The German earlier put an end to Richard Gasquet’s 23-year long odyssey in Monte-Carlo by prevailing 7-5, 5-7, 6-2. Gasquet, who announced he will retire after Roland Garros this year, made his final appearance in Monaco after making his debut in 2002 as a 15-year-old wild card.
The 38-year-old Frenchman was aiming to become the second-oldest man to reach the round of 16 at an ATP Masters 1000 event in the series’ history (since 1990). Yet Altmaier found an extra gear in a dominant deciding set, during which he missed just one of 20 first serves, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
In other action, last year’s finalist Casper Ruud earned a comfortable opening-round win against Roberto Bautista Agut. The fourth seed triumphed 6-2, 6-1 in 69 minutes and will continue the quest for his first Masters 1000 title against Alexei Popyrin after the Australian beat Frances Tiafoe 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Popyrin won his maiden Masters 1000 crown last year in Montreal.
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