Alcaraz, Musetti set for Monte-Carlo Masters showdown

Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti will battle for the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters title on Sunday, after each secured hard-fought semi-final wins to book their spots in the ATP 1000 final on the clay of Monaco.

Alcaraz continued his strong return to form by toppling fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets, 7-6(2), 6-4.

Entering the tournament as a +175 favorite with top tennis betting sites, the 21-year-old lived up to the hype but was forced to work for it against a streaky and aggressive opponent.

After racing to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, Alcaraz twice lost his serve as Davidovich Fokina fought back to force a tiebreak. That’s where the world No.3 elevated, mixing power and patience to dominate the breaker and take the first set.

In the second, an early break again gave Alcaraz the edge, and this time he held firm on serve to close out the match in two hours and six minutes.

“It’s been a long time,” Alcaraz said post-match, celebrating his first ATP Masters final since Indian Wells in 2024.

“I just had to be patient and believe that this moment was going to come again.”

“Sometimes the people are not patient — they want me to make the final in every tournament,” he added.

“I’m really happy to give them the chance to watch one of my finals again.”

While Alcaraz’s performance was efficient, Musetti’s path to the final was a rollercoaster. The Italian dropped the first set 6-1 to Australia’s Alex de Minaur, who was sharp early and relentless in defense.

But in slow, damp conditions, Musetti clawed his way back into the contest with more consistent baseline play and timely net approaches. He edged the second 6-4 and came from behind in a nail-biting third-set tiebreak to win 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(4).

“It was not easy to break through the Alex wall,” Musetti said after securing his first-ever ATP Masters 1000 final.

“I started to be more patient and that was the key.”

While Alcaraz will be contesting his sixth Masters final — and is a short -454.55 favorite to win with the top online sportsbooks — Musetti is playing with house money.

The 22-year-old Italian is priced at +333 to win the title with Nags.bet and +110 just to take a set, as he prepares for the biggest match of his career.

Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 2-1, though Musetti did beat him on clay in Hamburg in 2022. Both men have been in red-hot form throughout the week, setting the stage for a fitting finale to the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the European clay season.

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