MONACO (AP) — Jannik Sinner beat defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (5), 6-3 on Sunday to win the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time and reclaim the No. 1 ranking from his biggest tennis rival.
“The result is amazing,” Sinner said. “Getting back to No. 1 means a lot for me.”
Four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner met seven-time major winner Alcaraz in their ninth final in what is often called the “Sincaraz” rivalry.
Sinner trimmed Alcaraz’s head-to-head lead to 10-7 in clinching his 27th career title overall and his first Masters title on clay. The 24-year-old Italian will return to No. 1 in the ATP rankings on Monday.
Sinner rallied from 3-1 down in the second set amid blustery conditions at the Monte Carlo Country Club and served out the match, clinching it on his first match point when Alcaraz returned a forehand long.
“It was a bit windy, a bit breezy. Different conditions from what the tournament has brought," Sinner said. "I am very happy to win a big title on this surface, I haven’t done it before and it means a lot to me.”
Alcaraz had won his last 17 matches on clay but struggled Sunday with 45 unforced errors.
However, he praised Sinner.
“It is impressive what you are achieving right now,” Alcaraz said. "Congratulations for everything.”
Sinner dropped to his knees after Alcaraz's shot landed out and then jogged over to celebrate with his box.
“I felt a bit tired, so I tried to keep the right mentality,” Sinner said. "Having this trophy means a lot to me.”
It was Sinner's third title of the year after sweeping Indian Wells and Miami — also winning those finals in straight sets — to become only the fourth man to reach the final at the first three Masters of the season. Sinner joined tennis great Novak Djokovic (in 2015) as the only one to win the first three Masters tournaments.
Alcaraz’s two titles this year include the Australian Open, where the 22-year-old Spaniard became the youngest man to win all four tennis majors.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Jannik Sinner of Italy returns a ball against Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic in the men's singles final at the Miami Open tennis tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
LONDON (AP) — Rosamund Pike and Paddington Bear were among the winners on Sunday at London’s Olivier Awards, which celebrate achievements in theater, opera and dance.
“Ted Lasso” star Nick Mohammed hosted the 50th anniversary edition of the awards, a star-studded ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall where Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, Vanessa Williams and Andrew Lloyd Webber were among the trophy presenters.
Leading the nominations for Britain’s equivalent of Broadway’s Tony Awards, with 11 apiece, are homegrown heart-warmer “Paddington: The Musical” and a much-praised revival of Stephen Sondheim’s twisted fairy tale journey “Into the Woods.”
“Paddington” won the prize for its set design early in the ceremony, before the show turned to acting awards. Pike was named best actress in a play for playing a judge forced to question the justice system and her own ethics in “Inter Alia.” Jack Holden took the best actor prize for playing multiple roles in small-town murder mystery “Kenrex.”
They beat a star-studded list of acting nominees that included Cate Blanchett, Bryan Cranston, Marianne-Jean Baptiste and Tom Hiddleston.
Supporting performer prizes went to Paapa Essiedu for Arthur Miller's classic drama “All My Sons” and Julie Hesmondhalgh for crime and redemption story “Punch.”
The category of best actor in a musical includes a joint nomination for James Hameed and Arti Shah, who together play the titular marmalade-loving Peruvian bear in “Paddington.” Hameed provides the voice and remote puppetry, while Shah inhabits the bear costume onstage.
The ceremony included performances from nominated musicals and numbers marking two significant anniversaries: 40 years of Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera,” and 20 years of “Wicked” in the West End.
Stage star Elaine Paige, who is known for her leading roles in hit musicals including “Cats,” “Evita,” “Sunset Boulevard” and “Piaf,” received this year’s Special Award.
The Olivier Awards were founded in 1976 and named after the late actor-director Laurence Olivier. The winners are chosen by voting groups of stage professionals and theatergoers.
London’s West End is celebrating a strong post-pandemic return, buoyed by new musicals such as “Paddington” and “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry,” and revivals including director Jamie Lloyd’s bold staging of “Evita.”
The Society of London Theatre, an industry umbrella group, says ticket sales have surpassed the levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Shows in the West End — the collective name for London's theaterland — attracted 17.6 million visitors in 2025, 3 million more than Broadway.
But there are concerns about rising ticket prices and soaring production budgets, fueled by higher costs for labor, materials and energy.
“Theaters are busier than ever, but many are operating with far less financial headroom,” the society said in a report published last month.
Rosamund Pike poses for photographers upon arrival at the Olivier Awards in London, England, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Boy George poses for photographers upon arrival at the Olivier Awards in London, England, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Marisha Wallace poses for photographers upon arrival at the Olivier Awards in London, England, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Jo Foster poses for photographers upon arrival at the Olivier Awards in London, England, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Elizabeth Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus pose for photographers upon arrival at the Olivier Awards in London, England, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Cate Blanchett reacts as she poses for photographers upon arrival at the Olivier Awards in London, England, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
FILE - Cate Blanchett poses for photographers during the awards ceremony red carpet at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, on May 24, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP, File)
