Stefanos Tsitsipas wins maiden Masters 1000 crown in Monte Carlo

The 22-year-old Greek star clinched the Monte Carlo Masters without dropping a set

Stefanos Tsitsipas with his Monte Carlo Masters trophy; Credit: ATP Tour Twitter
By Karthik Raman | Apr 18, 2021 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ impressive week in Monte Carlo came to a grand stand finish. The Greek star collected his first ATP Masters 1000 title with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Andrey Rublev. Notably, Tsitsipas did not drop a single set throughout his week at the Monte Carlo Country Club. The same was the case in the lop-sided final against the Russian. Despite losing the final, Rublev had many positives to take away from this tournament, including the shock victory against Rafael Nadal en route to his final.

“I had an unbelievable week in Monte-Carlo,” Tsitsipas said in his post-match interview. “I can’t describe my feelings right now. I am overwhelmed by so many different emotions and nostalgia. It is incredible that I am able to be in the position that I am. We both deserved to be in the final. We put on an amazing fight and an amazing show… I would consider it as the [best] week of my life so far.”

Tsitsipas now leads Rublev 4-3 lead in the head-to-head rivalry. The Russian had beaten the Greek player in the semifinals of last month’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. “I knew that he was going to be a very difficult opponent to face,” he added.

“There were a lot of nerves coming into that match. [We] always want to bring the best out of [ourselves] when facing each other. Playing Andrey was a very difficult thing to do today, also considering that it was a final. There is extra stress and extra importance in the match that we had to play. [I am] definitely proud of the way I managed to behave and be out on the court today.”

Quick start

Earlier, Tsitsipas wasted no time in making his intentions clear as he charged at Rublev from word go. The 22-year-old earned the only break of the set at 1-0. He maintained his composure in his serve throughout the match to bag the first set in style.

It was the same story in the second set as well. At 1-1, the Greek star broke Rublev again. There was no looking back as Tsitsipas was in complete control to see out the set and match with it.

“The clay court season couldn’t have started better,” Tsitsipas said. “It is the best thing winning my first Masters 1000 and it is even more special doing it here on home soil in Monte-Carlo and doing it on clay, which is my favourite surface.”





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