MONTE CARLO, Monaco — Carlos Alcaraz teed up a blockbuster Monte Carlo Masters final with Jannik Sinner as the world's top two players will face off on Sunday for the No. 1 ranking.
Alcaraz ended the fairytale run of local boy Valentin Vacherot in the last four on Saturday to stay on track to defend his title in the principality.
Alcaraz saw off Vacherot, 6-4, 6-4, to reach his 10th ATP 1000 final and improve his record on clay to 26-1 since the start of last year.
It will be the first meeting this season between Alcaraz and Sinner and will decide who will be world No.1 come Monday when the new ATP rankings are released.
"I think it's the dream spot for everyone I would say. I'm fighting for a second Monte Carlo title, he's fighting for his first one," said Alcaraz of Sunday's final.
"It's going to be a really special one. The No. 1 is on the line, which will make tomorrow even more special."
The 22-year-old Alcaraz is trying to keep hold of top spot and holds a 10-6 lead over Sinner in the head-to-head series.
"It's going to be 17 meetings against him, so I know him pretty well," said Alcaraz. "I know that I have to play my best tennis if I want to beat him.
"If I'm feeling (the) favorite or not, I would say against him there is no favorite in any match. It depends about who's playing the best that day."
Alcaraz broke Vacherot three times to wrap up victory in 84 minutes and is bidding for his third title of the season after winning the Australian Open and in Doha. He has made it to the final at his last seven clay tournaments.
Sinner eased his way into the Monte Carlo final for the first time with a clinical 6-1, 6-4 semi-final win over Alexander Zverev earlier on Saturday.
The 24-year-old Italian becomes the first player to reach all three finals of the season's first three Masters 1000 events since Novak Djokovic in 2015. AFP
