Rising as one, Monte-Carlo fans stood and saluted finalists with a rousing ovation as the final set began.
An imposing Carlos Alcaraz stopped an injured Lorenzo Musetti to close the curtain on the drama.
In a match of supreme shotmakers, Alcaraz rolled through 12 of the final 13 games defeating Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 to capture his maiden Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters championship.
"Honestly, it’s huge for me," Alcaraz told Tennis Channel's Prakash Amritraj afterward. "It doesn’t matter that I have won Masters 1000 and Grand Slam [titles] before, it’s always immense lifting a masters 1000 trophy.
"For me it’s great. This means all the hard work I put in the last couple of weeks and seeing that it paid off it’s great for me, for my team and for my people."
It is Alcaraz’s 18th career championship, including his sixth Masters 1000 crown.
“Monte-Carlo, Monaco, I came with no win here,” Alcaraz told the crowd afterward. “I just felt great this week.
“You made me feel great every time I step on court, every practice. So I have to say thank you for everything, every single second you made me feel at home so thank you very much. See you soon.”
Alcaraz also offered encouraging words to the talented Musetti after the latest chapter of a rivalry that dates back to their teenage years, which really aren’t tht long ago.
“I think it’s not gonna be the last time you play in this round,” Alcaraz told Musetti in the trophy presentation. “I know you are doing great things off the court.”
Though the Monte-Carlo Country Club was rocking at the start of the third, an apparent right hip injury completely debilitated Musetti, who took an injury time-out after falling behind 0-3 and was barely moving in the final games of the match.
Arriving in Monte-Carlo winless in the Principality, Alcaraz cruised through 26 of the final 24 points as Musetti was immobilized by the injury.
“I want to thank Carlos for sharing the court, always a pleasure for me, always a lesson,” Musetti said. “Really disappointed that I could not finish the match in the best way for the crowd, for all the support I received this week. But you deserve it so keep going, I will try to come back for the rematch.”
One final forehand winner ended a one hour, 46-minute triumph, which Alcaraz celebrated writing “Monte Carlo, I love you.”
The 21-year-old Spaniard continues his love affair with dirt. The explosive Alcaraz is 17-1 on clay since May with his lone dirt loss coming to Novak Djoknovic in the Paris Olympics gold-medal match staged at Roland Garros.
This victory vaults Alcaraz past Australian Open finalist Alexander Zverev back to the world No. 2 ranking behind No. 1 Jannik Sinner, whose three-month suspension ends on May 5th.
For Musetti, who rallied from a set down four times in five Monte-Carlo matches to reach his maiden Masters 1000 final, this one has to hurt.
The Italian played his brand of swashbuckling shotmaking tennis for a set—exploiting Alcaraz’s sloppy start—was outgunned in the second set and saw his body betray him in the decider.
Afterward, Musetti said he's not sure how severe the injury is and will undergo and exam.
"We still don't know yet exactly, but of course we gonna do some exams in the next days," Musetti said. "The thing is that, as you probably saw, I couldn't, you know, finish the match properly, but, you know, in a final, I didn't want to retire.
"It was probably the best way to finish, even if I was not able, you know, to play anymore. And, yeah, that's it. Probably, you know, the toughness of the long week and the long matches that I played, at the end it cost me a little bit today."
The reigning Roland Garros champion won the coin toss, elected to receive and rapped a running forehand pass down the line breaking to open.
It was an ideal start. Musetti was unfazed.
Running down a dropper, Musetti leaped for a high backhand volley to break back and level immediately.
That break emboldened the Italian, who stamped a love hold in the third game, while Alcaraz unraveled in a flurry of errors.
Musetti burned through 15 of 21 points building a four-game run for a 4-1 lead.
Serving for the set, the Muse Mani conjured magic.
Stinging the center stripe with a second serve ace brought Musetti set point. Repelling a deep return, Musetti flicked a fantastic forehand drop shot winner sealing a superb 41-minute opener that saw him win six of the last eight games.
Alcaraz, who committed 11 forehand errors in the opening set, reset holding to start the second.
The beauty of Alcaraz’s all-court versatility is when his backcourt game is erratic, his net play can be explosive.
Charging forward, Alcaraz dug out a slick backhand volley—his 11th point in 12 trips to net—for a break point. Blasting a forehand winner, Alcaraz broke for 2-0 screaming “Vamos!” to fire himself up.
An empowered Alcaraz won 12 of the first 14 points in seizing a 3-0 second-set lead.
"I changed tactically a little bit, making more rallies. I tried not to make many mistakes and just get in the good rhythm again," Alcaraz said of his second-set surge. "I think that I played well. At the beginning of the second set, I think I started the set really strong. It helped me a lot to get into the match and get to the good rhythm again.
"After that, you know, in the middle of the second set, I think he got injured. So it was disappointing, I think, for him for sure. It wasn't good for him, for his people.
"But I have to say that I feel sorry for him, but I'm pretty sure he's gonna reach these rounds more than once, because the level he reach it didn't surprise at all, because I know he's doing the right things, he's putting good work every day, and we're gonna see Lorenzo Musetti in this position more often."
A clay-court can resemble a playground when Alcaraz is bounding around in full flow.
Digging out a low shot, Alcaraz’s knee touched dirt before he popped up and belted a backhand pass. That superb stretch helped him break again for 4-0.
Flashing a fist to his box, Alcaraz breezed to a 5-0 lead just 23 minutes into the second set.
Serving for the set, Alcaraz battled through an eight-and-a-half minute game, squandering a 40-love lead, fending off four break points and finally converting his fourth set point with a loud “Vamos!” to force a final set after 80 minutes.
Monte-Carlo fans rose in unison saluting both men with a standing ovation before the start of the third set.
In the opening game, a grimacing Musetti began tapping his racquet against his upper right leg and hip in a sign of struggle. Alcaraz made the Italian work, draining a few forehand errors to score the opening break.
A hobbled Musetti lacked explosiveness as the issue limited his mobility. Alcaraz rapped a forehand pass scoring his fifth break of the final for a 3-0 lead.
Pacing slowly, Musetti called for the trainer to treat an apparent hip flexor issue after 96 minutes of play.
The final three games were painful to watch as Musetti seemed to be suffering from the hip issue. The Italian hit one final return and was already walking to net when Alcaraz flashed the forehand to end it.