Top seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner launched their singles campaigns at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters with commanding straight-set triumphs on Tuesday.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz launched his title defense at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters with an emphatic 6-1, 6-3 win over Argentine Sebastian Baez in just 69 minutes on Tuesday.
“It’s been almost one year since the last time I played on clay,” Alcaraz remarked in his on-court interview. “To be honest, I missed it. I missed getting myself dirty a little bit.
“It’s been a really good start to the tournament for me. To be honest, I surprised myself with the level… I was happy with everything I’ve done today, except for maybe letting him back into the match in the second set.”
The world No. 1 overwhelmed his opponent with his notable speed, feel, and ferocious ball striking, extending his winning streak on clay courts to 14 matches.
He wasted no time in turning the opening set into a one-sided affair as he broke serve on three occasions before closing out 6-1 in 27 minutes.
In the second set, the seven-time major champion picked up where he left off, quickly opening a 3-0 advantage.
Continuing to add pressure over his adversary, the top seed produced three break-point opportunities in the fourth game, which Baez fended off to hold his ground 1-3.
In the seventh game, the Argentine found some breathing room as the 22-year-old hit a double fault, which would cost him a break of serve.
However, the world No. 65 efforts were cut short as the Murcia native broke straight back in a lengthy eighth game to stay the course 5-3.
Marching to wrap up in style, he fired two aces to hold to love, pocketing the set and the match to return to the third round at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.
Overall, Alcaraz hit 24 winners to 24 unforced errors, compared with Baez's 5 and 22, respectively.
In addition, Spain's No. 1 racquet converted five of 10 break points and won 83 percent of the points on his first serve.
Earlier, world No. 2 Jannik Sinner dispatched Frenchman Ugo Humbert, securing a 6-3, 6-0 victory in just 64 minutes, dropping only three games in his opening match at The Principality.
Assessing his performance, the four-time Grand Slam winner outlined: “It was a good performance today from my side. You have to change your game style and how you approach certain situations, and the first match of a new tournament is never easy, as I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare."
Off the back of completing the 'Sunshine Double', the No. 1 Italian produced a ruthless display to neutralize the French player from the get-go.
Delivering his trademark aggressive baseline game and superb all-court coverage, Sinner succeeded in his transition to the red clay, chasing every ball en route to converting his first break in the fifth game.
In control of the match, the 24-year-old broke twice to seal the first set 6-1 in 41 minutes.
“You need to adjust to every surface," he added. "The most difficult part is understanding how much you’re going to slide when you slide, so sometimes I don’t have the right distance yet. But the best practice is always matches.”
With the wind in his sails, he stepped back into the court, imposing his rhythm early in the second set to never look back.
Without dropping a game all set, he raced to earn the win with authority, becoming the first man to record 20 victories this season.
With the win, he also extended his winning streak at the Masters 1000 level to 18 matches and 36 consecutive sets.
Sinner, a two-time semifinalist at the venue, is bidding to capture his maiden title in Monte-Carlo, with the top of the Rankings on the line.
Next, he will face either the 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo or the Czech player Tomas Machac in the next round.