Monte Carlo has delivered a compelling opening week. From Daniil Medvedev smashing his racket after the first double-bagel defeat of his career to Valentin Vacherot’s meteoric run to a home semi-final, the tournament has shown that even the tour’s finest need time to readjust to clay. Yet the Sincaraz rivalry has underlined something else entirely: their technical edge and resilience across surfaces. Here, we look back at their week in Monte Carlo - and what it reveals ahead of Sunday’s final.
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Valentin Vacherot made Monaco proud
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Monte Carlo reminded us that Matteo Berrettini still possesses the level that once took him to world No.6. His 6-0, 6-0 demolition of Daniil Medvedev - only weeks after the Russian had contested a Masters 1000 final against Jannik Sinner - was as ruthless as it was unexpected. Yet Berrettini’s resurgence pales beside the remarkable rise of Valentin Vacherot.
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Vacherot arrived in Monaco facing Juan Manuel Cerúndolo and recovered from a set and a break down to prevail. He then overcame Lorenzo Musetti - last year’s finalist here - in two tight sets, 7-6, 7-5, before dispatching Hubert Hurkacz 6-7, 6-3, 6-4. But it was the quarter-final that truly altered the scale of his run. Against Alex de Minaur, the world No.5, Vacherot claimed his biggest top-20 win since his shock Shanghai Masters title in 2025, back when he was ranked outside the top 200. The Monegasque took the first set 6-4, dropped the second 3-6, yet refused to fade. In the decider, his forehand proved decisive, carrying him to a first career meeting with world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz.
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The semi-final was approached with admirable clarity. Vacherot served with precision, determined not to offer Alcaraz an early opening. Yet at 1-1, the Spaniard struck first, capitalising on a mistimed approach to break. From there, the opening set remained tight, but Vacherot lacked the weight of shot to unsettle Alcaraz’s service rhythm. The Spaniard closed it out 6-4. The second set followed a similar pattern. A mistimed volley off an Alcaraz drop shot handed the Spaniard an early break, but Vacherot responded impressively, breaking back to level. Suddenly, Monte Carlo believed again. What followed was one of the week’s most engaging contests: long exchanges, deft touch and relentless movement. At 4-4, however, Alcaraz found the decisive blow - a feathered sliced drop shot that broke Vacherot’s resistance and sealed his place in the final. The embrace at the net said enough. Vacherot left court knowing he had earned the respect of the world No.1- and of Monaco. Not bad for a player who won his first Masters match only a year ago, here in Monte Carlo, at 26.

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How is the Sincaraz rivalry shaping up at Monte Carlo?

Carlos Alcaraz arrived in Monte Carlo as defending champion and has looked increasingly assured on his route to the final. He dismissed two Argentines with authority - Sebastián Báez 6-1, 6-3 in his opener, then Tomás Etcheverry 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 - before sweeping aside Alexander Bublik, who offered little resistance in a one-sided 6-3, 6-0 defeat. On clay, Alcaraz remains one of the hardest players in the world to contain, and Monte Carlo has underlined why. His standout weapon this week has been the drop shot: precise, disguised and, so far, largely unanswerable. His semi-final against home favourite Valentin Vacherot proved his sternest test, yet the true measure arrives today. While Alcaraz has shown moments of vulnerability on hard courts this season, defeating Jannik Sinner here would offer more than another Masters title - it would confirm his authority on clay and sharpen belief ahead of Roland Garros. As he admitted earlier in the week: “To be honest, I’m going to lose world No.1… Being No.1 is not in my mind right now. I’m trying to feel as good as I can.” Monte Carlo may yet shift that perspective.

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