18:05 CET - It was a statement display from Sinner in Monaco, as despite hitting 38 unforced errors across the two sets, he managed to hold it together at the back end of both sets to secure a 17th straight victory.
Alcaraz can have no real complaints about the result, with the Spaniard facing 11 break points compared to Sinner's five, while the 22-year-old also racked up 45 unforced errors and won just 58% of points behind his first delivery.
Sinner's triumph sets the tone for a fascinating clay season, with prestigious tournaments in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome to follow ahead of the French Open.
17:26 CET - Jannik Sinner is the champion of Monte Carlo!
The second set started in a similar fashion to the first, with Alcaraz breaking serve early on to take the lead, but Sinner roared back in emphatic fashion, winning four games in a row from 3-2 down to give himself the chance to serve for the match.
Unlike the last time they played a major match on clay, in last year's French Open final, the Italian took his chance this time around to give himself the first major clay title of his career, his fourth Masters 1000 triumph in a row and a return to the top of the world rankings.
16:30 CET - What a set of tennis! Sinner edges it 7-6(5) after a whopping one hour and 14 minutes!
Alcaraz made the stronger start, breaking Sinner's serve in the second game, but the Italian then broke back immediately. After that, it was he who applied more pressure, forcing four break points and facing none, but the Spaniard saved them all to take things to a tiebreak.
The pattern then continued in the breaker, giving Sinner two set points, and while he failed to take one on his serve, Alcaraz then double-faulted to give the opener to his rival.
This match-up just always delivers!
15:07 CET - Here we go! The fight for the Monte Carlo title, the fight to be world number one, and the latest edition of one of sport's great rivalries, is underway.
We'll provide set-by-set updates right here, and you can follow every point and all the key statistics here.
14:30 CET - With 30 minutes to go, let's take a look at their respective roads to the final this week.
Alcaraz brushed Sebastian Baez aside in the first round before dropping a set in a tougher-than-expected clash with Tomas Martin Etcheverry. He very much steadied the ship after that with a dominant win over Alexander Bublik, before prevailing in straight sets in a tough contest with home hero Valentin Vacherot.
Like his rival, Sinner too has dropped one set on his way to the final, encountering a scare when he suffered some physical issues against Tomas Machac. Aside from that blip, he's been imperious, and was particualrly impressive in his semi-final win over Alexander Zverev.
12:38 CET - A clash between Alcaraz and Sinner is always tough to predict, and that's very much the case for this one.
On one hand, Alcaraz has the better clay-court credentials. The Spaniard has two French Opens, two Madrid Opens, one Rome title and one Monte Carlo title to his name, whereas Sinner has never won a major tournament on the red stuff.
However, the Italian is in simply remarkable form. He's claimed 21 wins in a row in Masters 1000 tournaments, and is also enjoying a 16-match winning streak across all formats, with just one set being dropped in that run.
Nevertheless, Alcaraz is the slight favourite due to how things have panned out when they've met on this surface, with him winning four of their clay-court matches. Famously though, Sinner was painfully close to prevailing in last year's French Open final, holding three match points.
10:30 CET - Hello, and welcome to our coverage of the final of the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters between defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and his great rival Jannik Sinner.
Not only is the iconic Monte Carlo crown up for grabs today, but whoever walks away with it will also be assured of the top ranking from tomorrow, too.
There couldn't be more to play for in the first meeting of the season between the world's best.
The match is scheduled to start at 15:00 CET. If you want to get primed for the action, read our in-depth preview of the final here.
Yesterday, both Sinner and Alcaraz breezed through their respective semi-finals. Take a look at the highlights from Saturday below and catch up on all the scores from the clay courts of Monaco here.
