Jannik Sinner thrashes Ugo Humbert to chase world number one ranking
Jannik Sinner began his bid to reclaim the world number one ranking by thrashing Frenchman Ugo Humbert in just 64 minutes at the Monte Carlo Masters.
The Italian secured a dominant 6-3 6-0 victory to advance comfortably into the second round.
It marked a triumphant return to clay for the recent Miami Open champion, whose last appearance on the surface was a defeat by Carlos Alcaraz in last season’s French Open final.
Flawless hard-court form continues
He arrives in Monaco riding a formidable wave of momentum following back-to-back triumphs at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
Remarkably, the in-form star completed that rare Sunshine Double sweep without dropping a single set.
“It was a good performance from my side,” Sinner said.
“The first tournament on clay is never easy. I come here with good feelings but at the same time not many expectations.”
The battle for the summit
This tournament represents a crucial battleground in the ongoing rivalry at the pinnacle of men’s tennis.
Sinner will overtake Alcaraz at the summit of the ATP rankings if he lifts the trophy in the principality this week.
Because of a three-month doping suspension that forced him to miss this stretch last year, he has no ranking points to defend until the Italian Open in May.
In contrast, Alcaraz faces immense pressure as the defending champion in Monte Carlo.
The Spaniard begins his own title defence against Argentine clay-court specialist Sebastian Baez.
Both men have now spent exactly 66 weeks atop the world rankings, adding further stakes to their prospective European collision.
Next up for Sinner is a second-round clash against either 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo or Tomas Machac.
