Sinner's still here!

New York Times

5 hours ago

Alcaraz, 22, fought from two sets down and saved three championship points to defend his Roland Garros crown in a magnificent six-hour Paris thriller Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz produced a comeback for the ages to defeat Jannik Sinner and take the 2025 French Open final in a six-hour instant classic in Paris.
Alcaraz, 22, defended his title by coming back from two sets down and saving three championship points to win 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(2).
The Spaniard was broken twice as the world No. 1 and slight favorite Sinner started strongly on Court Philippe-Chatrier, and Alcaraz went two sets behind after being edged out of the second-set tiebreak at sunny Roland Garros.
Alcaraz won three breaks in the third set and won a dramatic tiebreak to level the match before he went 7-0 up in the championship breaker with some celestial tennis and sealed his triumph with a laser forehand.
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Sinner 6-4, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-7(3), 1-2* Alcaraz
Sinner 15-0, and the umpire confirms Sinner's ball is out, just. 15-all. Sinner serve called out, Alcaraz overrules and calls it in. These two gents, honestly.
Ooh, Alcaraz return long, and this is game point to the world No. 1, the top seed, the pre-match favorite. The mid-match favorite!
Another return long and Sinner is on the board. He's not going anywhere. Getty Images
Sinner 6-4, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-7(3), *0-2 Alcaraz
Sinner rather limped to his chair between games, and trudged wearily across court to receive serve from Carlos Alcaraz. Is his body failing him?
30-0 Alcaraz. Sinner into the net, slides for the volley, 30-15.
A guttural roar from Alcaraz, deep from his diaphragm, bursts out of his mouth as he levers away a winner for 40-15 and game point. Sinner long, Alcaraz nods curtly to his box, who nod back.
Jannik Sinner has never won a match more than three hours and 50 minutes.
Carlos Alcaraz has never come from two sets down.
One of those pillars will fall, alongside the perfect Grand Slam final record that both players currently hold. Getty Images
Sinner 6-4, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-7(3), 0-1* Alcaraz
Goodness me, Carlos Alcaraz is pumped up. He wins the first two points of the fifth and final set here on Chatrier, on Jannik Sinner's serve no less, and the crowd love it.
Gasps as Alcaraz mishits one, bottom of the net, 15-30. Next point is massive. And it goes to Carlos, double break point! One saved by Sinner for 30-40...
First serve out. Second serve, into a rally, one end to another, nearly four and a half hours on the clock, Alcaraz finally changes the rhythm, fearlessly, with a drop shot. And Sinner misses! Break!
What a match. What a sport. Here we go. Getty Images
Sinner 6-4, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-7(3) Alcaraz
ALCARAZ TAKES THE SET! MY WORD, WHAT A TENNIS MATCH!
Sinner 6-4, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-6(*3-6) Alcaraz
Alcaraz high, Sinner smash, 4-3. What a treat this match has been.
But Sinner duffs a second-serve return miles long for 5-3!
And, pressure mounting on the tall Italian's shoulders, Sinner goes long! Alcaraz points at the ball mark, and it's out!
He has three set points to take this into a deciding fifth set.
Sinner won't feel secure even with a decent lead in a tiebreak.
He led Alcaraz 3-0 in the deciding tiebreak of the China Open final last fall.
Alcaraz went stratospheric and won seven points in a row to win the title.
Sinner 6-4, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-6(*2-4) Alcaraz
Ace from Alcaraz! Close, but Sinner says it's good. Another serve, called out, but it's good as both players and the umpire inspect it! 2-0 down, 3-2 up for Alcaraz. Still on serve though.
That nuclear forehand sparked the momentum shift of this tiebreak on Chatrier.
And Sinner goes wide! Four points in a row! Getty Images
Sinner 6-4, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-6(2-1*) Alcaraz
Alcaraz slams it into the net and mutters darkly and uncharitably. Sinner takes the serve after the narrowest of mini-breaks.
Uh oh, Alcaraz long, Sinner 2-0 up and with the serve. Big next point.
You absolute dancer, Carlos. He pings a forehand winner for 2-1 and takes the serve back.
It is funny that re my earlier post that Sinner had lost all six of his matches longer than three hours 50 minutes, he got broken serving for the match as the clock ticked over that mark.
Is three hours, 50 minutes for Sinner like midnight for Cinderella?
Sinner struggling late in the day?
Sinner 6-4, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-6* Alcaraz
40-15 to Jannik Sinner, world No. 1, but his feet are caked in quicksand as he can only watch Alcaraz grip it and rip it past him for a flaming forehand winner, easily more than 100 miles an hour on that.
40-30, but Sinner holds. Tiebreak. Remember, Sinner won the breaker in the second...
Sinner has chosen a terrible time to play his worst tennis of the afternoon. Getty Images
Sinner 6-4, 7-6(4), 4-6, 5-6* Alcaraz
Almost disappointment, a stunned hush, greets Sinner going 15-0 up. Then Alcaraz predicts which way he will smash but can only bat it into the tramlines. Good effort, nonetheless.
But he's 30-0 down and a tiebreak beckons. Or does it? Sinner bullets one into the net, 30-15. Poor.
Can Sinner lose this set and win the match?
If he does it'll be one of the most amazing resets in the history of the sport.
Now that is a wild stat from our very own Matt Futterman .
Momentum = swung. Getty Images
Alcaraz has won 13 out of 14 points since being down triple-match point.