MONTE CARLO, April 12 (Reuters) - Italy's Jannik Sinner dethroned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(5) 6-3 in Sunday's Monte Carlo final to claim his first Masters title on clay and snatch back the world number one ranking from the Spaniard.
The victory capped a remarkable run for Sinner, who became just the second player to win the 'Sunshine Double nL1N40H08Q' and Monte Carlo in the same season -- a feat previously achieved only by Novak Djokovic in 2015.
It marked Sinner's fourth consecutive Masters 1000 crown following triumphs in Paris, Indian Wells and Miami, and his eighth Masters title overall.
"We came here just trying to get as many matches as possible before other big tournaments coming up. Today was a very high level from both of us," Sinner said in an on-court interview.
"It was a bit windy, breezy -- completely different conditions the tournament has brought until today.
"The result (is) amazing, getting back to number one means a lot to me. At the same time, as I always say, the ranking is secondary. I'm very happy to win at least one big trophy on this surface."
The last time the pair met was nearly five months ago when Sinner beat Alcaraz in the ATP Finals title clash and fans had been eagerly looking forward to the next chapter of the 'Sincaraz' rivalry.
STRUGGLE IN BLUSTERY CONDITIONS
Playing in blustery conditions, both players struggled initially as they traded early breaks until Alcaraz found his groove first, unleashing winners past Sinner when he caught the Italian wrong-footed on the baseline on a few occasions.
Alcaraz also used the disguised drop shot to good effect to catch Sinner off guard but breaking serve proved elusive for both as they battled the wind.
Sinner was forced to work hard while trailing 6-5 but he held his nerve to force a tiebreak where his first serve proved decisive, clinching the opener when Alcaraz double-faulted on set point.
Alcaraz struck early in the second set, consolidating a break to lead 3-1 with a couple of impressive returns that had the fans leaping to their feet.
However, Sinner found his second wind and reeled off four straight games to turn the match on its head and serve for the title.
Sinner made no mistake on serve and as Alcaraz made an error on championship point, the Italian celebrated the biggest claycourt title of his career before embracing his rival at the net.
"It's impressive what you are achieving right now... Just one man in the Open Era won the Sunshine Double and then Monte Carlo, and you are the second one to achieve it," Alcaraz said.
"It's something incredible and I just experienced how difficult it is to make that happen. So congratulations for everything, for the work you are doing with your team."
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
