Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-4 in Monte Carlo on Sunday, winning this Masters on clay.
Tsitsipas won the tournament for the third time in four years.
Sitting in his chair, the Greek cried after earning his first title of the year and his most notable victory in two years.
“I am very proud of myself. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, said Tsitsipas, 12e seeded, but who reached third in the world in 2021. I didn’t know what was going to happen this week. »
The powerful server also won the title in 2021 and 2022. This latest trophy in Monte-Carlo brought his total to 11 titles over the course of his career.
It was his first trophy since August 2023 in Los Cabos, Mexico, on a hard surface.
Sunday’s victory was much more prestigious. Afterwards, he gave a warm hug to Ruud, who remains in search of a first title this year. The Norwegian has ten titles in total.
The match featured former Roland Garros finalists – perhaps offering a glimpse of what could await in Paris next month.
Tsitsipas dismissed Melbourne champion Jannik Sinner in the semi-final, inflicting only his second defeat of the season.
Ruud, seeded eighth, beat top seed Novak Djokovic on Saturday.
Tsitsipas broke Ruud’s serve for 3-1 in the first set, then got another break when Ruud sent a forehand into the net. Appearing nervous, Ruud gave up the set via a double fault.
Ruud did better in the second set. Tsitsipas saved three break points and needed 13 minutes to hold serve in the seventh game, to lead 4-3.
Tsitsipas clinched victory after an hour and 38 minutes, with the help of a forehand.