Sebastián Báez out, beaten by unstoppable Carlos Alcaraz in Monte Carlo | OneFootball

A true lesson in great tennis is what Carlos Alcaraz (ATP No. 1) delivered after cruising past Sebastián Báez (No. 65) 6-1, 6-3 in just 70 minutes of play in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters 1000. In this way, the world No. 1 remains in the fight to stay at the top of the rankings and matched a personal record.

The Spaniard showed why he is at the top of the world rankings, because against a player of the Argentine’s caliber, he did not allow even the slightest chance of a back-and-forth battle. His surprising drop shots, down-the-line winners, and trips to the net were decisive obstacles in his rival’s path, who could only manage to win four games in the entire match. The superiority of the player from El Palmar was evident, and by a wide margin.

A great victory to start off the title defense on the right foot. A defense that could cost him dearly if he fails, since he would lose the top spot in the ATP rankings, leaving it in the hands of his successor, Jannik Sinner, if the Italian manages to advance a few more rounds.

As a result, the head-to-head between the Argentine and the Spaniard now stands at 4-0, with Báez not even able to take a set off the reigning Australian Open champion. In addition, he now has 18 wins so far this season and two titles under his belt: the recently mentioned Grand Slam and the ATP 500 in Doha, with only two losses to his name, against Medvedev at the Indian Wells Masters 1000 and against Sebastian Korda in Miami.

In addition, Alcaraz has now won 14 consecutive matches on clay if what he achieved in 2025 is included, when he won the Rome Masters 1000 and Roland Garros back-to-back. The last time he lost on this surface was nearly a year ago, more precisely on April 20 in the final of the ATP 500 in Barcelona against Holger Rune (No. 29). This equals his best winning streak, set in 2022 when he won Barcelona and Madrid and reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros.

As for the battle for ATP world No. 1, after Jannik Sinner’s first-round win, only 240 points separate them in the live rankings. In this way, the Italian still has a very real chance of leaving Monte Carlo as the best tennis player in the world. But he cannot relax: if Alcaraz wins the title, he will remain there for a few more weeks.

Carlitos now awaits in the round of 16 the winner of the clash between another Argentine, Tomás Etcheverry (No. 30), and Terence Atmane (No. 45). Whichever of the two becomes his opponent, it will be the first match he plays against either of them, opening a new H2H.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.