Sign up
news article img

Tennis

Stefanos Tsitsipas Defeats Casper Ruud to Win Monte Carlo Masters

2024 has been a pretty rocky year for Stefanos Tsitsipas, but he’s finally back on track! The Greek player easily cruised past Casper Ruud in the Monte Carlo Masters finals, to win his third title in four years at this tournament and rise to No. 7 in the world rankings. Tsitsipas played several pretty tense matches on his way to the final, defeating Karen Khachanov and Jannik Sinner. Despite beating the first seed Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, Casper Ruud couldn’t stand his ground to Tsitsipas, who defeated him 6-1, 6-4 in straight sets. This victory is a huge deal for Tsitsipas, who was overwhelmed by emotion following this epic match, which saw him save all eight break points he faced. "It's been a very difficult time for me, so to be back on the podium and winning, it's amazing. I am extremely grateful to my friends, family, and everyone behind this journey. To win three [titles] is just unbelievable - it was a nerve-wracking game but I am extremely happy," Tsitsipas told the reporters after the match. This marks the Greek’s third victory in Monte Carlo, and he joins Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg, Thomas Muster, and Ilie Nastase as the fifth player in the Open era to win this clay tournament three or more times. Nadal holds the all-time record with 11 wins.