Stefanos Tsitsipas wins second straight Monte Carlo Masters, beating giant-slayer Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in final

Stefanos Tsitsipas became the first repeat champion at the Monte Carlo Masters since Rafael Nadal in 2018, with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) win against unseeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Sunday.

«It's a great feeling because we had the crowd this year,» the third-seeded Greek said after winning the first big final of the clay-court season. «It was a bit more lively than last year.»

Davidovich Fokina — the Spaniard who knocked out Novak Djokovic in the second round — was playing his first ATP final.

Tsitsipas won the first set, despite conceding an early break. Davidovich Fokina overcame an early break in the second and broke twice.

Tsitsipas squandered a chance to serve out the match at 5-4 but still wrapped up the final in one hour, 34 minutes.

«I am very proud of myself,» Tsitsipas said. «Things weren't going well at one point, but I managed to stay composed.»

Tsitsipas, 23, reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January.

The identity of his opponent in Sunday's final surprised many.

«I must confess that he was not the Spaniard I was expecting in the final,» said Zeljko Franulovic, the tournament's director, with 11-time winner Rafael Nadal not playing in Monte Carlo because of a rib injury.

As well as knocking out Djokovic, Davidovich Fokina also beat Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals and Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals.

«It was an amazing experience,» the 22-year-old Spaniard said about the tournament.

Davidovich Fokina said it had increased his confidence for the rest of the season.

«I don't know if I will win another match, but I will be focused on every point, every game,» Davidovich Fokina said.

Tsitsipas was delighted by the rowdy crowd, after COVID-19 saw the 2020 tournament cancelled and the