Spain's Carlos Alcaraz to face Italy's Lorenzo Musetti in final at Monte-Carlo Masters

Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters for the first time with a dominant 7-6(2), 6-4 win over fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Saturday.

He will face Italy's Lorenzo Musetti on the red clay in Sunday's title match, after the 13th seed fought back to beat Australian eighth seed Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) in the other semifinal contest.

"I knew how well Davidovich Fokina had played in Monte Carlo, so I had to be ready to fight," said Alcaraz.

Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, is targeting his first Masters title since triumphing in Indian Wells last year.

"It's been a long time since I've had the chance to win a title on clay, and I can't wait to try my luck again here," said Alcaraz, who was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics in August.

His only title this season remains the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam in February, but he appears to be enjoying his return to clay.

Alcaraz quickly became the tournament favorite following early exits for top seed Alexander Zverev and third seed Djokovic, while world number one Jannik Sinner is still serving a doping ban.

The 21-year-old admitted that he has felt some added pressure due to Sinner's absence.

"The first question, you know, since Jannik was unable to play tournaments, a lot of people were asking me and talking about, how important (the) moment that I have ahead is to reach the number one (ranking) again or to win tournaments or whatever," Alcaraz said.

The victory also continues an uptick in his fortunes at an event where he had lost his only other match in 2022.