Alcaraz ends Vacherot’s run to set up final tie with Sinner

Defending champion and top seed Carlos Alcaraz beat Valentin Vacherot 6-4 ‌6-4 on Saturday to end the Monegasque’s fairytale run at the Monte-Carlo Masters and set up a blockbuster ​final against Jannik Sinner.

Vacherot, who also enjoyed a breakthrough run at the Shanghai Masters in October, knocked ‌out Lorenzo Musetti, Hubert Hurkacz and ‌Alex de Minaur on his way to the Monte Carlo semi-finals. The 27-year-old was the first Monegasque player to reach the last four in the Principality.

Alcaraz struck first in the opening set, breaking serve to move 2-1 ahead before sealing the ‌set with an ace.

Just as the seven-times Grand Slam champion appeared to be cruising, Vacherot mounted a spirited fightback ⁠and edged ahead 4-3 in the second set. Alcaraz, however, proved too strong, winning three successive games to seal victory.

With the win, Alcaraz became only the third player to reach 10 ATP 1000 finals before the age of 23, joining Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic since the format began in 1990.

With the world number one ranking on the line, Alcaraz said he was excited about facing Sinner for the first time this year.

“I think it’s the dream ​spot for everyone,” Alcaraz said. “I’m fighting for my second Monte Carlo title; Jannik’s fighting for his first ‌one. It’s going to be a really special one. The world number one is on the line. That makes tomorrow even more special.

“I’m just really happy to win this really difficult match against Valentin. He’s playing great tennis with a ⁠lot of confidence right now. Playing in his hometown, it was really tough to deal with.

“For me, I’m really excited about my first meeting with Jannik this year, first final. Let’s see how it’s going to be tomorrow. I’m excited about it.” Four-times major ‌winner Sinner dispatched German third seed Alexander Zverev 6-1 6-4 in the first semi-final.

Meeting Zverev for a fourth ‌consecutive Masters 1000 semi-final, the Italian produced a near-flawless opening set, racing to a double-break lead before sealing it with a backhand winner.

The second set proved a tighter affair. With the score level at 4-4, Sinner pulled away, breaking Zverev’s serve before ‌closing it out 6-4. ‌The victory extended Sinner’s head-to-head record against Zverev to nine wins and four losses.

Sinner, who won the Indian Wells Masters and Miami Open titles last ‌month, became only the fourth player to reach the finals at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo in the same season, after Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

“I’m very, very happy,” Sinner said. “We came here trying to give myself some feedback. Now finding myself in the final means a lot to ​me.

“Every match, every day is different. I’m very happy about today’s performance. I felt really solid from the beginning. When you’re a break up straight away, it changes the dynamic of the match. Let’s see what’s coming in the final.”

Meanwhile, two-time defending champions Italy won Saturday’s decisive doubles rubber to sweep into the Billie Jean King Cup finals as the United States were dumped out by Belgium, with Ukraine, Spain, Britain and Kazakhstan all also advancing.

Olympic champions Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini sealed the winning point for Italy with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Eri Hozumi on clay at Velletri, south of Rome.

Agencies