'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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