ATP Tour

Alcaraz delivers Monte-Carlo 'Lightning Bolt' in opener vs. Baez

Carlos Alcaraz said he had ‘missed clay so much’ ahead of this week’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, and the Spaniard certainly seemed to enjoy himself on returning to the surface for his first match at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Defending champion Alcaraz barraged to a 6-1, 6-3 opening-round win against Sebastian Baez on Court Rainier III, where he barely put a foot wrong across his 70-minute triumph. The speed with which he dispatched Baez, a six-time ATP Tour champion on clay, would likely have impressed Usain Bolt, the iconic sprint star who was watching on from the stands.

All-star @carlosalcaraz 🤩

The title defence is up and running!@ROLEXMCMASTERS | #RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/PrplRNE3OK

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 7, 2026

“It’s been a really good start to the tournament for me,” said Alcaraz. “To be honest, I surprised myself with the level. I thought I was going to play a little bit worse, I would say, but I’m just happy with everything I’ve done today. Maybe a couple of things I didn’t do well in the second set. I let him get into the match, but overall, I’m just happy to play matches again on clay.”

Competing on clay for the first time since his dramatic Roland Garros championship-match triumph against Jannik Sinner last July, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings broke Baez’s serve five times and dropped his own serve just once.

Alcaraz is bidding to back up his standout season on clay in 2025, when he posted a 22-1 record on the surface. This week in Monte-Carlo, he is also competing with the knowledge that his great Lexus ATP Head2Head rival Sinner has the chance to replace him as World No. 1 next Monday.

“I’m going to lose No. 1 in the world [at some point]. I don’t know if it is going to be at this tournament or [another] one,” said Alcaraz. “I’m defending a bunch of points that are going to be really difficult to defend. Even if I defend them, Jannik is going to add some points... I will just try to play my best and let’s see what happens, but for me the No. 1 spot is not in my mind right now. I’m just trying to feel the best way on clay courts and let’s see how the clay swing goes.”

Having lost two of his past three matches heading into Monte-Carlo, Alcaraz could hardly have done more against World No. 65 Baez to demonstrate he remains in some of the best form of his career. He used his heavy forehand to dictate rallies early and won 83 per cent (25/30) of points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He is now 18-2 for the season, a tally which includes title runs at the Australian Open and in Doha.

The next challenge for the 26-time tour-level titlist Alcaraz at the Monte-Carlo Country Club is a third-round encounter against another Argentine, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, or Frenchman Terence Atmane. The Spaniard has not previously faced either of those potential opponents.