On a sun-drenched afternoon in Monte Carlo on April 9, 2025, Carlos Alcaraz, the 21-year-old Spanish tennis prodigy, turned a shaky debut into a dazzling display of resilience and skill at the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters. Facing off against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in the second round, Alcaraz stumbled out of the gate, dropping the first set in a lackluster 3-6 performance that left fans wondering if the clay-court king had lost his magic. But what followed was nothing short of a masterclass, as he roared back to demolish his opponent with a ruthless 6-0, 6-1 finish, securing his first-ever victory at this prestigious tournament and leaving the crowd in awe of his tenacity.
The match began with an uncharacteristic wobble for Alcaraz, ranked No. 3 in the world and fresh off a rollercoaster start to his 2025 season. Cerundolo, a crafty 26-year-old sitting at No. 22, came out swinging, capitalizing on Alcaraz’s early struggles. The Spaniard’s backhand misfired, and unforced errors piled up as the Argentine dictated play with punishing forehands and relentless pressure. “I didn’t start well,” Alcaraz later admitted, reflecting on how he let Cerundolo dominate the court and control the rallies. For a moment, it seemed the ghosts of recent disappointments—semifinal exits in Indian Wells and a shock first-round loss in Miami—might haunt him again on the red clay of Monaco.
But Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion and the defending French Open titleholder, isn’t one to stay down for long. Something clicked at the start of the second set. Facing two break points in the opening game, he dug deep, unleashing a ferocious forehand winner on the run that ignited the crowd and shifted the momentum. “I just knew I had to do something else, play more aggressively, and play my own tennis,” he explained, detailing how he adjusted his strategy. Moving closer to the baseline, he began returning with purpose, landing 44 percent more first-serve returns than in the opening set. The change was electric—drop shots danced off his racket, net approaches baffled Cerundolo, and suddenly, the match was his to command.
What unfolded next was a demolition. Alcaraz dropped just one game across the final two sets, winning 12 of the last 13 in a breathtaking 97-minute turnaround. The second set was a 6-0 annihilation, a statement of intent that showcased his trademark flair—those delicate drop shots, that blistering aggression, that unrelenting will. By the third set, Cerundolo, who had looked so assured early on, was reduced to a spectator, unable to counter the Spaniard’s onslaught. A final break at love sealed the 6-1 scoreline, and Alcaraz raised his fists to the sky, celebrating not just a win, but a milestone: his maiden triumph in Monte Carlo, where he’d previously faltered in his only other appearance in 2022.
This wasn’t just a victory over Cerundolo—it was a rebuttal to doubters and a reminder of why Alcaraz is a force on clay. With a 16-4 record in 2025 and a title already under his belt from Rotterdam, he’s now 3-0 against Cerundolo in their head-to-head clashes, including wins on grass and hard courts. But this clay-court clash felt different, a proving ground for a player eager to shake off recent stumbles and fine-tune his game ahead of Roland Garros. “I tried to return closer to the line and push him,” he said, pinpointing the tactical shift that turned the tide.
For Cerundolo, it was a bitter end to a promising start. The Argentine had arrived in Monte Carlo riding a wave of confidence, having dispatched former champion Fabio Fognini 6-0, 6-3 in the first round. With 17 wins this season, he’d hoped to finally crack Alcaraz, joking earlier that “maybe it will be third time lucky” on clay. Instead, he found himself steamrolled, his early dominance a distant memory as Alcaraz’s brilliance took over.
Next up, Alcaraz faces Germany’s Daniel Altmaier in the third round, a qualifier who ousted veteran Richard Gasquet earlier in the day. It’s a chance to build on this momentum, to silence any lingering questions about his form, and to stake his claim as a favorite in a tournament where top seed Alexander Zverev has already fallen. For fans, it’s a thrilling glimpse of what’s to come—a young star rediscovering his groove, one devastating shot at a time, on the clay courts where legends are made.