Tsitsipas successfully defends title in Monte Carlo
By BARBARA SURK
Associated Press
MONACO (AP) — Stefanos Tsitsipas appeared happy to hear fans “yelling and chanting” again at the Monte Carlo Masters as he beat unseeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-6 (3) to retain his title. After winning the first big final of the clay-court season, the third-seeded Greek said “It’s a great feeling because we had the crowd this year.” The coronavirus meant the 2020 edition was canceled and the 2021 tournament held without fans. Davidovich Fokina knocked out Novak Djokovic in the second round. The Spaniard was playing his first ATP final. Tsitsipas squandered a chance to serve out the match at 5-4 but still wrapped up the final in 1 hour, 36 minutes.