Alcaraz survives Davidovich Fokina challenge to reach maiden Monte-Carlo Masters final
The world No 3 defeated his compatriot 7-6 (2), 6-4 and will play Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the final
Carlos Alcaraz, Monte-Carlo, 2025 © Chryslène Caillaud / Psnewz
Carlos Alcaraz mastered a stern challenge from Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Monaco, defeating his compatriot 7-6 (2), 6-4 to reach a maiden Monte-Carlo Masters final.
It is the world No 3’s seventh Masters 1000 final, having already swept five titles at this level and finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati in 2023, and caps a noteworthy reversal of fortunes for him at this event.
Having broken through so spectacularly to clinch a first Masters title in Miami three years ago, Alcaraz then suffered a surprise loss to Sebastian Korda in the first round of Monte-Carlo as the scrutiny of the tennis world fully fell upon him for the first time. He then missed the next two editions with niggling injuries, as his relationship with Monte-Carlo continued its tumultuous early trajectory.
This year, however, he has reversed those fortunes. Having struggled across the ‘Sunshine Double’ last month, Alcaraz has arrived in Monaco looking sharp, fresh and hungry for success. Unshackled from the burden of potentially replacing Jannik Sinner at the top of the world rankings, the young Spaniard has mesmerised the Monte-Carlo crowd all week with his prodigious, headline-generating talents.
Today, he faced a stern challenge from a fellow Spaniard who knows these courts well.
Davidovich Fokina is a highly adept clay-courter with particular pedigree in this competition – having defeated Djokovic in the opening round en route to the final three years ago – and that experience showed across a competitive opening set.
The pair exchanged breaks early on before Alcaraz struck ahead again in the sixth game, leading to an opportunity to serve out for a one-set lead at 5-3. But his fellow Spaniard displayed tremendous resolve to break for a second time after a lengthy ninth game, saving his third set point in the process as he forced a tiebreak. Alcaraz reapplied the pressure in the breaker, however, sprinting to take it 7-2 and clinch a gripping opener.
The world No 3 then seized the opportunity to consolidate his advantage, breaking his opponent in the first game of the second set as the hangover of that lost tiebreak hurt Davidovich Fokina.
42nd in the world but playing tennis well worthy of a top-10 ranking, the Spaniard held firm throughout the second set in the face of relentless returning pressure from his young compatriot.
Alcaraz probed, and pressed, and harried, but Davidovich Fokina clung onto his serve for the remainder of the contest, forcing his opponent to serve for the win at 5-4. Yet the four-time Grand Slam champion duly obliged, comfortably serving out a testing win to reach his maiden Monte-Carlos Masters final.
roland-garros champion alcaraz delivers on the clay
A fine start to his 2025 clay-court campaign comes to an end for Davidovich Fokina. But he should expect big things of himself over the next two months – he is a player who excels on this surface and is frequently overlooked as a challenger to major titles, despite his considerable talent.
Today, though, once again belongs to his extraordinary fellow Spaniard. Seemingly every time that Alcaraz finds himself in a mini slump, he reminds the tennis world that he is not just a serial entertainer – this young man knows how to win.
He came into this year’s clay-court swing with an entirely different set of pressures of his shoulders, having underperformed in the US and arriving as the Roland-Garros defending champion. But, yet again, Alcaraz has embraced the spotlight and risen to the challenge presented before him.
He will enter his first final at Monte-Carlo as an expectant favourite against Lorenzo Musetti but will know this task is far from over. As the world No 3 and reigning French Open king, the pressure will ratchet up once again for Alcaraz to get this title over the line.
After all the pre-tournament whispers of doubt, though, there will surely be few willing to bet against him now.
