Jannik Sinner returns to world number one after winning 2026 Monte Carlo Masters

Jannik Sinner (YouTube)

For the first time in Jannik Sinner’s career, he has won the Monte Carlo Masters. On Sunday, Sinner returned to number one in the world with a 7-6, 6-3 win over Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner has 13350 points and Alcaraz has 13240 points. It was the first time in 2026 that the top two players on the ATP Tour played against each other.

A key statistic in the final was double faults. Alcaraz had five double faults and Sinner had two double faults. The most significant double fault came at the end of the first set. With Sinner leading 6-5, Alcaraz was unable to hold serve.

Sinner is the fifth Italian to win the Monte Carlo Masters. He follows Giovanni Balbi di Robecco (1922), Giovanni Palmieri (1935), Nicola Pietrangeli (1961, 1967, and 1968), and Fabio Fognini (2019).

Alcaraz was one of three top five players in the world that Sinner defeated in Monte Carlo. He also beat Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 6-4 in the quarterfinals and German Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-4 in the semifinals.

Sinner made tennis history in Monte Carlo. He became only the second player ever to win Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo in the same year. The first was Novak Djokovic of Serbia in 2015.

It should also be noted that Sinner has won four consecutive ATP Masters 1000 series finals in a row. He also won the Paris Masters in the fall. The Paris Indoor Masters event in the fall and the Monte Carlo Masters in the spring have something in common as both tournaments are a male only event.

In all, Sinner has now won eight ATP Masters 1000 Series events. He also won the 2023 National Bank Open in Toronto, the 2024 Miami Open, 2024 Cincinnati Open and 2024 Shanghai Masters.