Carlos Alcaraz Makes Strong Start at Monte-Carlo Masters

Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his bid to retain the Monte-Carlo Masters title with a convincing 6-1, 6-3 win over Sebastian Baez in the second round in Monaco on Tuesday.

'It's a great start for the tournament for me,' said Alcaraz, quoted by ATP.

'Sincerely, I was a bit surprised by my level of play. I thought I would play a bit worse, but I'm happy with everything I've done today.'

'Maybe there were a few things I didn't do very well in the second set. I let him get back into the match, but overall, I'm happy to have played another clay-court match.'

In his first clay-court outing since his dramatic win over Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros final last July, the world No. 1 dominated Baez, smashing five of the Argentine's serves and losing serve only once.

Alcaraz, 22, is looking to repeat his outstanding 2025 form on clay, where he boasts a 22-1 record.

This week in Monte-Carlo, he will also compete with the knowledge that his nemesis Sinner has a chance to overtake him as the world's top-ranked player come Monday.

'I will eventually lose the No. 1 ranking. I don't know if it will happen at this tournament or at another one,' said Alcaraz.

'I have a lot of points that will be difficult to defend. Even if I manage to defend them, Jannik will add some points.'

'I'll just try to play as well as possible, and we'll see what happens, but to me, the No. 1 ranking is not in my mind right now.'

After losing two of his last three matches ahead of Monte-Carlo, Alcaraz had almost all he could do to show that he's still playing at his best.

He used his strong forehand to dominate Baez's replies from the start and won 83% (25/30) of the points behind his first serves, according to ATP statistics.

Alcaraz's next challenge at the Monte-Carlo Country Club will be against Argentine Thomas Martin Etcheverry or Frenchman Terence Atmane in the third round.

He has never faced either of his potential opponents before.