'Prince of Clay' Carlos Alcaraz stages epic rally to retain French Open crown
Carlos Alcaraz battled back from the brink of his first loss in a Grand Slam final to outlast Jannik Sinner in a French Open title clash for the ages on Sunday, keep his crown and cement his status as the Prince of Clay in the post-Rafael Nadal era at Roland Garros.
In a scintillating showdown between the torchbearers of a new generation, the 22-year-old saved three match points in the fourth set to win 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (10-2) and continue his dominance over Sinner with his fifth straight victory and end the Italian's 20-match winning run in the Grand Slams.
Alcaraz showed his steely determination to win the epic in 5 hours, 29 minutes — the longest final at Roland Garros — and soaked up the roaring ovation from a thoroughly entertained Parisian crowd that was used to seeing Nadal, a 14-time champion, triumph at the event.
"I'm just really happy to be able to make history with you in this tournament," Alcaraz told Sinner after collecting the Musketeers' Cup.
"I'm sure you're going to be champion not once, but many times. It's a privilege to share the court with you in every tournament, making history with you."
The victory made Alcaraz only the second man since tennis turned professional in 1968 to win his first five Grand Slam singles finals after Swiss great Roger Federer, but Alcaraz was more enthralled by an achievement he shared with fellow Spaniard and 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal.
"The coincidence of winning my fifth Grand Slam at the same age as Nadal, that's destiny," Alcaraz told reporters.
"It's a stat I'm going to keep forever ... It's a huge honor. Hopefully it's not going to stop like this."
Alcaraz and Sinner, who have won seven out of the last eight Grand Slams to stamp their authority on the men's game, were locked in a fierce battle full of dramatic momentum shifts in the first Grand Slam final between two men born in the 2000s.
Sunday's thriller was the second-longest Grand Slam final of the Open Era and marked only the third time since 1968 that a player saved a match point en route to victory in a Grand Slam final.
Alcaraz matched Argentine Gaston Gaudio's 2004 French Open feat and Serbian Novak Djokovic's Wimbledon comeback in 2019.
Playing in his first Grand Slam after serving a three-month ban after a doping case, the top-seeded Sinner held serve in a tense five-deuce opening game that lasted 12 minutes.
However, the 23-year-old was broken in the fifth game when he fired a forehand wide, before hitting back from 3-2 down and going on to snatch an intense opening set following an unforced error by Alcaraz.
Relentless pressure from the baseline allowed Sinner to go a break up early in the second set, and the top seed began to apply the squeeze on Alcaraz, who was on the ropes trailing 4-1 on a sunbathed Court Philippe Chatrier.
An aggressive Alcaraz came out fighting and drew loud cheers when he drew level after 10 games and then forced a tiebreak, but Sinner edged ahead with a blistering forehand winner and doubled his lead after the clock ticked past two hours.
Alcaraz, who had never come back from two sets down before, battled hard in hopes of avoiding heartbreak in a major final and pulled a set back before saving three match points at 5-3 down in the fourth, later restoring parity following the tiebreak.
He traded breaks in a high-quality decider and prevailed in the super tiebreak to become the third man this century to capture back-to-back French Open titles after Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten.
"He was born to play these kind of moments," Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero said.
"Every time we were in these situations, even when he was younger in the challengers ... he always went for it."
Sinner was left to digest how he let a golden chance to win the clay-court season's blue ribbon event slip away following hard court triumphs at the U.S. Open and Australian Open.
Alcaraz fell to the red dirt before Sinner went over to his side of the court to congratulate him, and the Spaniard then ran to the heaving stands to hug his team and celebrate.
"CARLOS II, PRINCE OF CLAY," the French Open posted on X.
Sinner had a contemplative look, sitting on his bench as his rival rejoiced, and was gracious in defeat when he congratulated him during the trophy ceremony.
"We tried our best today, we gave everything ... an amazing tournament even though it's very difficult now," Sinner said.
"It's a big privilege for me to play here ... I won't sleep very well tonight but it's okay."
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'Do I enjoy that? The real champions are made in those situations.' In producing one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the clay-court tournament on Sunday, he emulated Djokovic's feat from the 2021 final at Roland-Garros — when the now 24-time major winner fought back from two sets down to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas. 'Today it was all about the belief in myself,' Alcaraz said. He became just the ninth player to rally from two sets down and win a Grand Slam final in the Open Era, which began in 1968. The first was Bjorn Borg in 1974 against Manuel Orantes at the French Open, where Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi achieved the same feat. Rafael Nadal also did so, at the Australian Open, and Sinner too. It was the first time that Sinner had lost a Grand Slam final, but the fifth time in succession he has now lost to Alcaraz, who clinched the 20th title of his career at the age of 22. It was also the longest-ever French Open final — 5 hours, 29 minutes — in the Open Era. It was so tight that Sinner won 193 points, Alcaraz 192. It might not have been close to those numbers. For after 3 hours, 43 minutes, Sinner had his first match point. But with just over five hours since the match began, Alcaraz served for the title at 5-4 up. The drama was still not over. Sinner made a remarkable retrieve from yet another superb Alcaraz drop shot. At the very limit he could stretch to, Sinner glided the ball over the net, with the ball landing with the softness of an autumn leaf and out of Alcaraz's reach to make it 15-40. When Sinner won the game to make it 5-5, it was his turn to milk the applause and he was two points away from victory in the 12th game, with Alcaraz on serve and at 15-30 and at deuce. But Alcaraz made a staggering cross-court backhand to make it 6-6 and force a tiebreaker, with the crowd going wild when Alcaraz's cross-court winner made it 4-0. 'Just amazing the support you have given me today,' Alcaraz said. 'During the whole tournament.' Alcaraz won the match with a superb forehand pass down the line, fell onto his back to celebrate, then rushed over to dance and hug the team members in his box. 'I'm very happy for you, and you deserve it, so congrats,' the 23-year-old Sinner told Alcaraz. 'It's an amazing trophy, so I won't sleep tonight very well, but it's okay.' Sinner may have nightmares about the ninth game of the fourth set. Serving to stay in the match at 5-3 down, Alcaraz trailed 0-40 to give Sinner three match points. On the second match point, and with Alcaraz on second serve, he hit a hurried backhand which landed just out. He then hit a forehand into the net for another unforced error, making it deuce. The crowd chanted 'Carlos, Carlos,' and roared when Alcaraz hit an ace, then gave him a standing ovation when his audacious forehand down the line went in — to win that game — and again when he broke Sinner's serve to level at 5-5. 'That's what the real champions have done in their whole careers. Not being afraid,' Alcaraz said. 'That's why I had my best tennis in crucial moments.' Despite having just lost a chance to win another major, Sinner showed great sportsmanship to give Alcaraz the point for a 30-0 lead in the 11th game. Alcaraz's forehand landed at the back of the court and, as the chair umpire prepared to come down and inspect the mark, Sinner told her to go back because he saw the ball was in. The crowd applauded him politely, but the noise level erupted when Alcaraz won the fourth-set tiebreaker to level the match. By now, the fans had what they wanted — an Alcaraz comeback — and fans showed their unbridled delight when he won points with astounding drop shots from deep or leapt to bang cross-court forehand winners. Alcaraz hit 70 winners, compared to 53 for Sinner, who might have been feeling like it was a case of déjà vu. Alcaraz beat Sinner in the French Open semifinals last year, coming back from 2-1 down in sets. He beat Sinner last month in the Italian Open final — the tournament where Sinner returned from his doping ban. Alcaraz now owns a 22-1 record on clay this year.
