"It's been a long time since I've had the chance to win a title on clay and I can't wait to try my luck again here," the 21-year-old said.

"I just had to be patient and believe that this moment was going to come again.

"Sometimes the people are not patient, they want me to make the final in every tournament."

A four-time major champion, Alcaraz has had a mixed start to the season, winning the Rotterdam Open but suffering some surprising losses during the hard-court season.

In Monte Carlo, the world number three made a quick start against Davidovich Fokina, going up an early break but faltering when serving for the set at 5-3.

Davidovich Fokina held firm to send the opener to a tie-break, but Alcaraz ran away with it and again went up an early break in the second set.

This time he was able to hold on to his lead, hitting 21 winners to Davidovich Fokina's 19 to reach his first Masters final since Indian Wells in 2024.

Meanwhile, Musetti, who ended Stefanos Tsitsipas' title defence in the quarter-finals, could not find his range in the opening set against De Minaur.

However, he claimed a crucial break in the second as the rain arrived, using his one-handed backhand to great effect to force a decider.

Another break allowed Musetti to serve for the match at 5-4 - but De Minaur, one of the best defensive players on the men's tour, broke back and ensured the match would be decided on a tie-break.

Musetti held his nerve well, taking control of the breaker and moving into the biggest final of his career as De Minaur planted a forehand into the net.

Watch the moment Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage beat Suzan Lamens and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands to secure Great Britain's place in September's Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

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Boulter and Burrage were playing together for only the second time, having practised as a partnership in the build-up to the competition.

"We went out there and we gave it our all. We swung and that is what we wanted to do," Burrage said.

"It was great to step on the court with Katie - good friends and good partners, I think."

It is a credit to Boulter that she came out after a disappointing loss to world number 70 Lamens in the singles.

She and Burrage claimed an excellent win against the formidable Dutch pairing - Lamens was on a 13-match unbeaten run at the BJK Cup while veteran Schuurs had not lost a match for her country since 2022.

Boulter and Burrage played with aggression, targeting Schuurs' serve in particular.

They hit 26 winners to 10 from the Netherlands, with Boulter cranking up her forehand in the deciding moments.

Schuurs was left in tears after the match, with her side now needing to compete in the play-offs to secure a place in the 2026 qualifiers.

Britain go on to compete at the eight-team Finals in Shenzhen, China from 16-21 September.

Connacht: Hansen; Jennings, Gavin, Aki, Treacy; Hanrahan, B Murphy; Buckley, Heffernan, Bealham, J Murphy, Joyce, Prendergast (capt), Hurley-Langton, Jansen.

Replacements: Tierney-Martin, Dooley, Aungier, Dowling, Boyle, Devine, Ioane, Forde.

Racing 92: James; Naituvi, Habosi, Tuisova, Spring (capt); Lancaster, Le Garrec; Ben Arous, Escobar, Bamba, Palu, Rowlands, Baudonne, Kpoku, Joseph.

Replacements: Couly, Gogichashvili, Leota, R Taofifenua, Manyarara, D Taofifenua, Farrell, Chavancy.

France: Morgane Bourgeois; Kelly Arbey, Marine Menager (co-capt), Montserrat Amedee, Emilie Boulard; Carla Arbez, Pauline Bourdon-Sansus; Yllana Brosseau, Manon Bigot, Rose Bernadou, Manae Feleu (co-capt), Madouddou Fall-Raclot, Charlotte Escudero, Seraphine Okemba, Teani Feleu.

Replacements: Elisa Riffonneau, Ambre Mwayembe, Assia Khalfaoui, Kiara Zago, Axelle Berthoumieu, Lea Champon, Oceane Bordes, Lina Queyroi.

Wales: Jasmine Joyce; Lisa Neumann, Hannah Jones (capt), Courtney Keight, Carys Cox; Kayleigh Powell, Keira Bevan; Gwenllian Pyrs, Carys Phillips, Jenni Scoble, Abbie Fleming, Gwen Crabb, Kate Williams, Bethan Lewis, Georgia Evans.

Replacements: Kelsey Jones, Maisie Davies, Donna Rose, Natalia John, Alaw Pyrs, Bryonie King, Sian Jones, Nel Metcalfe.

Referee: Holly Wood (RFU)

Assistant referees: Sara Cox (RFU) & Maria Heitor (FPR)

TMO: Leo Colgan (IRFU)

FPRO: Rachel Horton (RA)

Last year in front of 48,778 at Twickenham, England recorded their highest points win (88) and 11th successive victory over Ireland.

However, Scott Bemand's side have dramatically improved over the past 12 months to record a shock win over world champions New Zealand at WXV1 in October, backed up by the 54-12 thrashing of Italy - a first away win in the Six Nations since 2021.

Ferocious and brave defence from Ireland frustrated the visitors in the opening period, with Mitchell's side lacking their usual first-half composure.

Fly-half Dannah O'Brien had joy finding space in behind England's back three and set up the opening try for Costigan through another well-weighted kick.

Mitchell retained his regular front-line starters that hammered Wales in Cardiff last time out, with the vast majority playing key roles in his side's third successive Six Nations Grand Slam and WXV1 title last year.

Lock Talling crossed from a maul for England's only first-half score, to show why Mitchell required his main stars in Cork to defeat an Ireland side who have made clear their intentions to compete at the World Cup.

Costigan, the first Ireland player to score a try against England since 2018, produced a stunning try-saving tackle on Jess Breach and full-back Kildunne spilled the ball over the tryline, as England began to take control of the game early in the second half.

A big factor in the defending champions eventually seizing control was the yellow card of prop O'Dowd, who was part of a struggling Irish scrum.

Harrison's show-and-go grabbed a vital try before Kildunne made amends for her earlier error by helping to set up Jones' score.

Prior to the game, Ireland had scored 10 points and conceded 205 in their past three championship games against England.

The difference in replacements proved pivotal in the closing stages as England ran up a scoreline that at one point looked unlikely.

The gap in quality may have closed over the past 12 months, but no score from Bemand's side in the second half shows much more work is needed if Ireland want to join the World Cup hosts as possible contenders later in the year.

The message about winning the collision from the leadership team quickly came to fruition when Jess Breach burst down the wing to score a disallowed try just over 30 seconds into the second half.

It was the start of a free-flowing half of rugby from the Red Roses, led by fly-half Harrison, who despite being known for her strong kicking game was lively with ball in hand.

"I really enjoyed Zoe's running game today, we know she can kick and distribute but I just liked how she got her head up early and saw space," former England fly-half and 2014 World Cup-winner Katy Daley-Mclean told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly.

"She was solving the problems in front of her, she is starting to develop into a really well-rounded 10 and coming into form at exactly the right time."

The biggest swing came when Mitchell unloaded his bench, which saw replacement prop Sarah Bern score twice and Kelsey Clifford grab her first international try.

Mitchell made 13 changes to his starting XV from the opening win over Italy to the hammering of Wales in Cardiff as he aims to build "two teams" before the World Cup.

"One thing England have is a massively good bench, Sarah Bern came on and was outstanding," added Mclean.

"Kelsey Clifford and Maddie Feaunati were brilliant, the list is endless. They all came on and added.

"It is great for England as it is competition but they know that very few teams in the world can live with you for 80 minutes and your bench."

England, who next face Scotland in Leicester next Saturday, are chasing a seventh Women's Six Nations title in a row and a fourth successive Grand Slam.

France are the last team to beat the Red Roses in the Six Nations back in 2018 and, after a convincing win over Wales, remain on course to set up a potential Grand Slam-decider at Allianz Stadium on 26 April.

Former Red Roses head coach Simon Middleton says England need to address how they begin games.

"They need to look at how they start the game, they struggled last week in the start against Wales and again this week," Middleton told BBC Sport.

"What they do have is a great capacity to regroup themselves and that strength in depth, but against better sides they won't get presented with as many opportunities.

"Other sides will not fall away as much as Ireland did."

Come World Cup time - in front of what are likely to be record-breaking crowds - being calm and regrouping under pressure is certainly a handy skill to call upon.