MONTE CARLO – Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas captured his second straight Monte Carlo Masters crown with a workmanlike 6-3 7-6(3) win over first-time ATP Tour finallist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain, claiming his first title of the 2022 season.
Greek world number five Tsitsipas’ second Masters 1000 title comes at the perfect time for the 23-year-old, who is hoping to improve on his runner-up finish at last year’s French Open and claim a maiden Grand Slam title this year.
Surprise package Davidovich Fokina, who knocked out top-ranked Novak Djokovic and Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz in the earlier rounds at Monaco, drew first blood by breaking Tsitsipas to take a 2-1 lead in the opening set.
“Remarkable. I’m very proud of myself. Things didn’t seem to be going well at some points but I managed to stay well-composed and kept believing that I can finish this off,” Tsitsipas said in a courtside interview according to Reuters.
“I’m proud of the belief I put into my game… Sometimes you doubt yourself but it’s always important to keep your head high.
“He was a difficult opponent. He fought in moments I didn’t really expect him to. He hits incredible winners out of nowhere and played extremely unpredictable. I believe this is a great win against him.”
But the world number 46 Spaniard surrendered his serve in the next game, allowing Tsitsipas to take control of the contest again and go a set up in only 31 minutes with a near-flawless display on Court Rainier III.
The pair traded breaks again in a see-sawing second set before Tsitsipas pounced in the tiebreak to secure the victory and his eighth career title when Davidovich Fokina failed to deal with a blistering backhand.
The victory helped Tsitsipas join Rafa Nadal as the only active player to win consecutive titles at Monte Carlo, with the likes of Juan Carlos Ferrero, Thomas Muster, Bjorn Borg and Ilie Nastase also achieving the feat during their playing days.
Tsitsipas said later that despite his dominant display in Monaco — where he dropped only one set against Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the quarter-finals — his mind was not on Roland Garros beginning on May 22.
“We still have Masters 1000 events (Madrid and Rome next month) until then, so I will concentrate on those before the French Open comes along,” Tsitsipas said.
Fuelled by momentum, Tsitsipas then seized further control at the start of the second set as he overpowered Davidovich Fokina with his ball-striking.
The 23-year-old broke for a 2-0 lead, but Davidovich Fokina showcased the grit, which has seen him achieve breakthrough results the week.
Pumped up and in the zone, the Spaniard began to club the ball with greater width, soaring back to 4-4.
Tsitsipas broke again when he received a bit of luck on break point at 4-4 when his mis-hit forehand landed in, before he won the point with a topspin forehand that the Spaniard was unable to return.
The Greek could not serve out the match though, with Davidovich Fokina raising his level to force a tie-break.
But even so, Tsitsipas found a way to win. He would not be denied a second Masters 1000 crown, playing more consistently in the tie-break as he forced errors from Davidovich Fokina with his width to triumph.
Tsitsipas improved to 3-0 in his ATP Head2Head series with Davidovich Fokina.
He also eliminated the World No. 46 in Monte Carlo last year, when the Spaniard was forced to retire after losing the first set 5-7 in their quarter-final clash.
Davidovich Fokina was competing in his maiden ATP Tour final, having earned wins over Marcos Giron, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, David Goffin, Indian Wells titlist Taylor Fritz and 2018 semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov.
The 22-year-old was aiming to become the first unseeded winner at the Monte Carlo Country Club since Muster in 1992 and also the first player since qualifier Albert Portas in Hamburg in 2001 to capture his maiden tour-level title at a Masters 1000 event.
Despite defeat, Davidovich Fokina is projected to rise to a career-high No. 27 in the ATP Rankings following his dream run in the Principality.
He arrived in Monte Carlo holding just a 4-9 record on the season and having lost all three of his previous tour-level semi-finals.
