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Dialuna 19 aPRil 2021

Tsitsipas wins Monte Carlo Masters without dropping a set

(AP) — Stefanos Tsitsipas won 13 indoor tournament in Marseille —
the Monte Carlo Masters without just weeks before France went into
dropping a set, beating Andrey lockdown for the first time because
Rublev 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday for his of the coronavirus pandemic.
first title this year and sixth over- The 23-year-old Rublev was aiming
all. for his second title of the year, his first
at Masters level and ninth overall. He
Fourth-seeded Tsitsipas was in domi- had produced an audacious display
nant form as he edged 4-3 ahead of to defeat record 11-time champion
the sixth-seeded Russian in their ca- Rafael Nadal on Friday, and further
reer meetings, having also beaten him confirm why he is one of the rising
on clay last year in the French Open stars of tennis.
quarterfinals.
After winning the ATP Cup with
“I had an unbelievable week. It is in- Russia, Rublev reached the quarterfi-
credible that I am able to be in the nals at the Australian Open and then
position that I am ... I would consider won the ABN AMRO World Tennis
it as the best week of my life so far," Tournament in Rotterdam last month
Tsitsipas said. “There were a lot of for his fourth title in seven months.
nerves coming into that match. Play- Since Rotterdam, he’s reached four
ing Andrey was a very difficult thing consecutive semifinals, including
to do today, also considering that it Monte Carlo.
was a final. I am definitely proud of
the way I managed to behave on the But he couldn't even get a break point
court." against Tsitsipas, who raised a trophy
at the Monte-Carlo Country Club 40
Tsitsipas also clinched his first Mas- years after his Russian mother did so.
ters title.
Julia Salnikova — a former Fed Cup
“It is even more special doing it here player for the Soviet Union — won a
in Monte Carlo and doing it on clay, junior title at the same venue in 1981.
which is my favourite surface,” he
said. “I can’t describe my feelings right
now,” Tsitsipas said. “I am over-
The 22-year-old Greek won his last whelmed by so many different emo-
title in February last year at the Open tions and nostalgia.”