Carlos Alcaraz matches personal milestone after seeing off Sebastian Baez in Monte Carlo

Carlos Alcaraz responded well to a tough run in the United States, easing past Sebastian Baez to begin his Monte Carlo campaign on the right note.

He rarely looked troubled during the second-round contest, eventually defeating the Argentine 6-1, 6-3.

Alcaraz, who is aiming to win a second consecutive title in Monaco, accepted that he may lose the world number one spot to Jannik Sinner while speaking to the media after the match.

Despite this potential setback, Alcaraz refuses to let his mood be dampened, as demonstrated by his dominant performance against Baez.

How Carlos Alcaraz claimed his first ATP win on clay

Carlos Alcaraz made his ATP debut at the Rio Open back in 2020, aged just 16.

The teenager, who entered as a wildcard and ranked 406th in the world at the time, shocked seventh seed and fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos Vinolas with a hard-fought 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 victory in the opening round.

As quoted by the ATP Tour after that win: “I will remember Rio forever. I am very happy to win my first ATP Tour match.

“This has been the longest and most intense match I’ve played so far. There were quite difficult conditions, but if you have the right attitude, the conditions don’t matter. You can achieve anything.”

Alcaraz’s run was ended by Argentine Federico Coria in the next round after a closely contested three-set battle. Chilean Cristian Garin went on to lift the trophy that year, beating Gianluca Mager in the final.

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