Stefanos Tsitsipas joined a select club as he defended his Monte Carlo Masters title on Sunday.
The Greek defeated Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-6(3) in the final to capture his second ATP Masters 1000 crown.
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With his one-hour, 34-minute victory, Tsitsipas has become the sixth player to win back-to-back Monte Carlo titles in the Open Era joining Rafael Nadal (2005-12, 2016-18), Juan Carlos Ferrero (2002-03), Thomas Muster (1995-96), Bjorn Borg (1979-1980) and Ilie Nastase (1971-1973).
'This was the first event I ever attended as a six-year-old kid…
…not in a million years would I have thought I am in the position I am today'@steftsitsipas and Monte-Carlo have a special bond ☺️#RolexMCMasters pic.twitter.com/YJOS29eLyb
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 17, 2022
“I have a surface that I might be adjusting easier to than other surfaces and we know which one that is,” Tsitsipas said of his recent performance on clay.
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“If I’m able to score points [on] this surface as much as I can and really concentrate on the other surfaces a bit more, I can really pull off a great year, maybe even finishing among the two best tennis players at the end of the season.”
In a standout week, the third seed produced consistent and aggressive tennis to capture his first title since he triumphed in Lyon last May.
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Tsitsipas overcame 2019 titlist Fabio Fognini, Laslo Djere and second seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets, but survived a major scare in the quarter-finals against Diego Schwartzman, rallying from 0-4 in the third set to advance.
Tsitsipas earned 1,000 ATP Rankings points with his win, which will propel him to second in the ATP Race To Turin on Monday as he tries to qualify for the ATP Finals for the fourth consecutive year.
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