Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece celebrates with the trophy and ball youngsters after his victory over Casper Ruud of Norway in the Men’s Double’s Final on day eight of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters at Monte-Carlo Country Club on April 14, 2024 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas swept aside Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday to win the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters for the third time in 4 years, and then wept in his chair.
Tsitsipas sat holding his head in his palms, briefly crying as he took in his first title of the 12 months and largest event victory for two years.
“I’m very proud of myself today. I had been waiting for a moment like this for a long time,” mentioned the Twelfth-ranked Tsitsipas, who reached a career-high No. 3 rating in 2021. “I did not know what was going to happen this week.”
The big-serving Greek additionally gained the title in 2021 and 2022 and this newest trophy at the Monte Carlo Country Club took him to 11 profession titles total.
“It has been very difficult, so to be back on the podium, winning tournaments, just feels amazing,” Tsitsipas mentioned. “The third time is even more special than the first or second time. This is an unbelievable win for me. Capturing that win today was nerve-wracking, I really wanted this trinity.”
It was his first trophy since August final 12 months, when he gained a modest ATP 250-level event on outside exhausting courts at Los Cabos in Mexico.
This was way more prestigious and he shared a heat hug at the web with Ruud, who’s chasing his first title of the 12 months and stays caught on 10 total.
The match featured former French Open runner-ups and provided an early indication of kind heading into the clay-court main at subsequent month’s Roland Garros.
Tsitsipas was an outsider coming into this event, the place he was seeded Twelfth.
But he received the higher of Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, handing him solely his second defeat of the season to arrange a maybe surprising closing in opposition to Ruud, who beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic in Saturday’s different semi.
Tsitsipas took an early management.
He broke Ruud’s serve and held for 3-1, then secured one other break of serve when eighth-seeded Ruud flapped a unfastened forehand into the web from the again of the court docket. A nervous-looking Ruud double-faulted on set level.
Ruud improved in the second set and pressured Tsitsipas, who saved three break factors and took 13 minutes to maintain serve in a troublesome seventh sport.
That appeared to be Ruud’s final likelihood whereas additionally summing up his erratic match, the place he made too many unforced errors and failed to convert any of his eight break-point possibilities.
Tsitsipas hit an ace to win his subsequent service sport, leaving Ruud needing to maintain serve to keep in the match.
An unforced error at 30-30 noticed Ruud patting a straightforward-looking backhand lengthy to supply Tsitsipas a primary match level.
He seized the second.
Tsitsipas dominated a quick rally and clinched victory with a forehand winner, then slid on his again along with his arms outstretched and put his palms on his face.
“I managed the point relatively well and finished it with the winner,” Tsitsipas said. “I showed some ruthless tennis. From the beginning to the end, my play was cohesive.”
Tsitsipas will enhance to No. 7 when the ATP rankings are launched on Monday.
