Carlos Alcaraz made French Open history with this absurd comeback stat
Carlos Alcaraz made French Open history with this absurd comeback stat
Carlos Alcaraz becomes the first man in history to save 3 championship points to win Roland Garros.
Historic things, Carlitos things. 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/277BCtiEYF — The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 8, 2025
To take down world No. 1 Janik Sinner in the men's French Open final on Sunday, Carlos Alcaraz was always going to have to dig deep. However, I don't think anyone foresaw just how resilient the tournament's now two-time reigning champion would actually be.
From start to finish, the Spaniard showed off his trademark mental toughness.
After losing the first two sets to Sinner, Alcaraz was basically against the ropes. But in a match that slowly (very slowly, but in a good way) became one of the longest in men's tennis history, Alcaraz never let up. He never threw in the towel. Not only did Alcaraz come back from two sets down to tie the match up before he and Sinner engaged in a fifth-set battle of wills, but he also saved three separate championship points to stay alive.
That's not a typo, and it's patently unreal to think about happening in a Grand Slam Final. It's also unreal because it's never happened before at Roland-Garros:
Alcaraz saving this many championship points is what allowed him to eventually take complete control in an epic tiebreak for the fifth set and for his second consecutive French Open title. So, really savor what we just witnessed from Alcaraz in this setting.
Realistically, we'll never see it again.
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So what happened yesterday?
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. GO FURTHER Carlos Alcaraz beats Jannik Sinner to win French Open in tennis classic Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Firstly, we should direct you to our live coverage from Saturday's action, where you can recap everything that happened, play-by-play, in gloriously full detail. As the below article will tell you, Coco Gauff fought back to beat Aryna Sabalenka in a titanic French Open final. Gauff, the second seed, lost a tiebreak at the end of an impossibly close opening set in Paris, but battled back to claim her second Grand Slam title, winning 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4. GO FURTHER French Open final: Coco Gauff beats Aryna Sabalenka to win second Grand Slam title Getty Images We would love to hear from you. Whether it's a question you have always wanted answered, a comment, or an observation... We welcome it all. Send us an email at: live@ — and we'll feature the best of what we receive in this live coverage. Don't be shy. Get typing. The women's doubles final is also on today, also on Philippe-Chatrier. In that match, the unseeded Aleksandra Krunić/Anna Danilina take on Italian duo Jasmine Paolini/Sara Errani (2). The mixed doubles was wrapped up on Thursday as Evan King and Taylor Townsend of the United States were beaten in straight sets by Errani and Andrea Vavassori, 6-4, 6-2. While the men's doubles finished yesterday with victory for a veteran duo. Horacio Zeballos, 40, and Marcel Granollers, 39, the fifth seeds, beat Brits Joe Salisbury/Neal Skupski (8) in three sets, 6-0, 6-7(5), 7-5. As aforementioned, it's the men's singles final on the main show court, Philippe-Chatrier, at 9 a.m. ET, 2 p.m. BST. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have battled all the way to a championship tiebreak in the men's singles final at the 2025 French Open in Paris today. Alcaraz drew an early advantage but world No. 1 Sinner hit back to take the opener 6-4 and again to force an early break in the second, before the Italian eventually won the tiebreak to go within a set of the title. On Court Philippe-Chatrier, champion Alcaraz (2) battled back to win the third set. With Sinner on the brink of victory, Alcaraz saved three match points to force a tiebreak before pulling level to force a final set. TV: TNT, truTV, Tennis Channel (U.S.), TNT Sports, Discovery+ GO FURTHER Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and the French Open final that neither player will lose Roland Garros, Paris, France The imposing stadium complex is in the 16th arrondissement (district) of the French capital city. Court Philippe-Chatrier, Suzanne-Lenglen, and Simonne-Mathieu are the show courts here. It's the only major played on clay and is a staple of the tennis calendar every year. The Athletic It's a busy time in the sports world — and there is no let up in the scheduling as spring becomes summer. It is NBA Finals time as Game 1 of the season-defining series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers lived up to the hype on Thursday night. Over in the soccer world, the European club seasons might be over but we have the Club World Cup and Women's Euros to look forward to. Plus the Formula One and MLB schedules are continuing and Wimbledon isn't far away either. The Athletic is your one-stop shop to follow all those sports and more, with our industry-leading coverage. So what are you waiting for? Sign up on an exclusive offer here. Getty Images Fancy tuning in to the action live on TV, alongside our live coverage? Here are your options: U.S.: TNT, truTV, Tennis Channel TNT, truTV, Tennis Channel UK: TNT Sports, Discovery+ TNT Sports, Discovery+ Canada: TSN TSN Australia: Stan Sports Stan Sports France: Sport, Amazon Prime Getty Images The action starts at 3 p.m. local time (CEST) in France, which is 2 p.m. BST in the UK, 9 a.m. ET and 6 a.m. PT on the east and west coast of the United States, respectively. Hello and welcome along, everyone, to The Athletic for the final day of the 2025 French Open. Today at Roland Garros we have the pleasure of experiencing the men's singles final between the top two seeds, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. It promises to be a wonderfully entertaining occasion here at Roland Garros in the French capital. So stick with us and let us take you through all the build-up to the tournament showpiece.
