Stefanos Tsitsipas won his second straight Monte Carlo Masters title, defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-6 (3) on Sunday in Monaco.
“I am very proud of myself,” Tsitsipas, the third seed, said in his on-court interview after the one-hour, 34-minute match. “Things weren’t going well at one point, but I managed to stay composed to finish the match off. I am really proud with the belief I put in my game. Sometimes you doubt yourself, but it is always important to keep your head high.”
For Tsitsipas, of Greece, it was his first title since winning in Lyon last May.
Tsitsipas fired three aces on his way to winning 71 percent (32 of 45) of points on first serve, compared to just 52 percent (27 of 52) for Davidovich Fokina, a Spaniard.
For the most part, Tsitsipas stayed in control of the match. He had a chance to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set but rebounded to win the tiebreaker and his second Masters 1000 title. It was his eighth overall title, fourth on clay and first of the season.
“He fought in moments I didn’t expect him to fight,” Tsitsipas said of his opponent. “He can hit incredible winners out of nowhere and play unpredictably. But I was able to minimize that. I knew he would be a dangerous opponent but that is a great win for me. I think we will see great results from him in the future.”
Tsitsipas improved to 3-0 against the 22-year-old Davidovich Fokina, who was competing in his first ATP Tour final.
With the win, Tsitsipas became the sixth player to win back-to-back Monte Carlo titles in the Open Era. Rafael Nadal (2005-12, 2016-18) most recently accomplished the feat.
–Field Level Media