Carlos Alcaraz wins French Open final in five sets after saving 3 match points against Jannik Sinner
PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz saved three championship points as he produced an astonishing fightback from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner in a French Open final for the ages on Sunday.
Reigning champion Alcaraz rallied from the brink of defeat to overcome world number one Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (10/2) to clinch his fifth Grand Slam title after five hours and 29 minutes.
The 22-year-old Spaniard is now unbeaten in five Grand Slam finals after snapping Sinner's 20-match winning run at the majors.
Alcaraz pulled off his first ever comeback from two sets down to stun Sinner in the longest Roland Garros final in history. It easily eclipsed the 1982 final in Paris when Mats Wilander triumphed in four sets over Guillermo Vilas in 4hr 42min.
Alcaraz becomes the third youngest man to win five Grand Slams -- after Bjorn Borg and compatriot Rafael Nadal -- following an incredible duel between the two stars of a new generation.
Sinner fell agonisingly short of a third successive Grand Slam crown after last year's US Open title and back-to-back Australian Open triumphs.
He suffered his fifth straight loss to Alcaraz in what was their first meeting in a Grand Slam final -- and the first championship match at a major between two men born in the 2000s.
Alcaraz leads 8-5 overall having also beaten Sinner to win in Rome, where the Italian returned to competition after a three-month doping ban.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Internet can't keep calm as Carlos Alcaraz beats Jannik Sinner to win the longest ever French Open final: ‘History made'
Social media was abuzz with emotion and admiration after Carlos Alcaraz scripted a sensational comeback to defeat world number one Jannik Sinner in the longest-ever French Open men's singles final, in Paris on Sunday night. The 22-year-old Spaniard, who saved three match points en route to his victory, secured his fifth Grand Slam title in a five-set thriller that lasted five hours and 29 minutes. Users across platforms praised Carlos' resilience, sportsmanship, and physical endurance, calling the match one of the greatest in modern tennis. Many highlighted the composure with which the Spaniard handled the pressure, especially as he clawed back from two sets down to eventually win 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2). There was also an outpouring of support for Jannik, the 23-year-old Italian who came agonisingly close to victory. Social media users appreciated the intensity and spirit with which both players competed, making the final a showcase of high-calibre tennis. A large number of fans noted the historical parallels between Carlos and his idol Rafael Nadal. Carlos himself pointed out the 'coincidence' of winning his fifth Grand Slam at the same age Nadal did, calling it 'destiny.' "The coincidence of winning my fifth Grand Slam at the same age as Rafa Nadal, I'm going to say that's destiny. It is a stat that I'm going to keep for me forever, winning the fifth Grand Slam at the same time as Rafa, my idol, my inspiration. It's a huge honour,' Carlos said of equalling Nadal's tally of five major titles at the same stage of their careers. The stat was widely shared and celebrated online, with many users viewing it as a symbolic passing of the torch in Spanish tennis. The record-breaking match went beyond the sport's usual following, with casual viewers and sports personalities also weighing in on the extraordinary quality of play. The dramatic swings in momentum, breathtaking rallies, and emotional post-match moments made it a perfect storm for viral attention.
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Alcaraz's French Open win against Sinner proves that rivals bring out the best in us
Like his mentor Nadal, Alcaraz knows that this is what winning the French Open is really about. You can be down two sets, then 3-5 in the fourth and facing three championship points, but if you persevere, stay mentally strong, and be at your best against the best, you will win. And he did. But when you're on blood red clay with Rafael Nadal's name engraved below your feet, it takes something more than the usual to prevail. It is not without reason that emblazoned around the court is a quote from France's greatest son, Napoleon Bonaparte: 'Victory belongs to the most persevering'. Power, subtlety, blinding racquet speed, incredible court coverage, and the mindset of a winner even before you set foot on court. That is what it takes to be a Grand Slam Champion. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz brought all of that and more to Court Philippe Chatrier for the epic French Open final on 8 June. But this is not about analysing the incredible five sets that two young tennis players at the peak of their game played against each other in Paris on Sunday night. It is not even about the fact that this may well rank alongside the 2008 Wimbledon final as one of the top 3 grand slam finals ever played. This is about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. It is about exploring why and how two great competitors can raise their game to such stratospheric levels precisely when they need to. Performance is not forged in isolation What Alcaraz and Sinner proved on Sunday is that performance is rarely forged in isolation. The ascendancy of the greats, whether it be individuals or teams in elite sports or epoch-defining businesses, is often accelerated by the presence of a formidable rival, a competitor whose skills and ability are matched only by their own. At its core, a rivalry is a crucible of motivation. When two entities—individuals, teams, or companies—are locked in a contest where neither can afford complacency or even the status quo, the instinct to outdo the other becomes a relentless driver of improvement. It ceases to be merely about winning or losing. In sports, the most celebrated rivalries—Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Nadal versus Roger Federer that played out over the past two decades, or the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Boston Celtics that dominated the 1980s, were not just spectacles for fans. They became laboratories of excellence. The Alcaraz-Sinner final demonstrated what empirical studies confirm—that athletes in direct, high-profile rivalries perform at a higher level than they otherwise would. The Messi-Ronaldo rivalry, examined through the lens of goals and assists, shows that both players' performances were significantly elevated when their competition was most intense. The presence of a rival who is equally gifted, or even slightly superior, forces each to dig deeper, to innovate, and to perfect their craft. Alcaraz needed to be outhit, outthought, and simply outplayed for over two sets by Sinner last night before raising his own game beyond what his most fervent fans could have expected. For over a decade, Messi and Ronaldo dominated world football, each pushing the other to ever-greater feats. Their rivalry was not just about individual accolades but about setting a new benchmark for what was possible. When Messi scored a hat-trick, Ronaldo responded with a brace and a match-winning goal. When Ronaldo claimed the Ballon d'Or, Messi redoubled his efforts to reclaim it. The result was a golden era for football, with both players breaking decades-old records. Nadal-Federer-Djokovic went even further by demonstrating over a two-decade period that a three-way rivalry can be even more potent. When Nadal burst onto the scene as a precociously talented teenager, Federer, standing alone at the top of the tennis world, was forced to improve. Nadal, in turn, on Federer's retirement, credited him for making the Spaniard a better player. And when Novak Djokovic emerged with his new avatar after an ordinary start to his career, both Nadal and Federer had to move their game a notch higher to compete and win. The result was an incredible 66 Grand Slam titles between them. In business, the most enduring rivalries, like Coca-Cola versus Pepsi, Nike versus Adidas, and Microsoft versus Oracle, have shaped industries and redefined standards. For over a century, Coke and Pepsi battled for market share, each innovation from one prompting a countermove from the other. The cola wars drove both companies to invest heavily in marketing, product development, and global expansion. The result was a continuous cycle of improvement, with each company raising the bar for the other. The impact of the Nike-Adidas and Microsoft-Oracle rivalries was no less. Companies like Toyota, Amazon, and General Electric have institutionalised continuous improvement through frameworks born out of the need to stay ahead of rivals, to eliminate waste, and to deliver superior value to customers. Toyota's Production System, for example, was developed in response to the challenges posed by global competitors. By focusing on quality and efficiency, Toyota not only surpassed its rivals but also set new standards for the entire industry. Similarly, Amazon's obsession with speed and customer satisfaction is fuelled by the knowledge that rivals are always just a click away. Such rivalries across industry have shown time and again that the need to outperform a worthy competitor drives innovation, sharpens strategy, and compels companies to continually reinvent themselves, just as it does in elite sport. Also read: No escape from Alcaraz. He's the perfect combination of Nadal and Djokovic Science of competition Working independently, sports psychologists and researchers in business strategy have come to similar conclusions, identifying four elements that drive high performance through competition: Increased motivation : The desire to outperform a rival is a powerful motivator, often stronger than the desire to achieve personal bests in isolation. Innovation and creativity : Rivalry forces individuals and organisations to think outside the box, to experiment with new techniques, and to take calculated risks. Continuous improvement : The presence of a worthy competitor ensures that complacency is not an option. Each success by the rival is a challenge to do better. Sharpened focus: Rivalry heightens focus and concentration, as the stakes are perceived to be higher. In each of the cases we looked at, from stadiums to boardrooms, these are the four elements that have anchored greatness. Rivalries drive greatness The greatest individuals, teams, and companies do not achieve their status in a vacuum. They are elevated by the presence of a rival who is equally skilled, equally ambitious, and equally determined. This rivalry is not a zero-sum game; it is a symbiotic relationship in which each party pushes the other to new heights. The stories of these rivalries are not just about competition. They are about the relentless pursuit of excellence, the joy of the contest, and the transformative power of a worthy adversary. Whether in the stadium, the boardroom, or the pages of history, it is the presence of a rival that brings out the best in us all. And just in case any doubts lingered in people's minds, last night, over five-and-a-half hours and five sets of scintillating tennis, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner provided living proof of their joint drive to greatness. Anindya Dutta is a sports columnist and author of 'Wizards: The Story of Indian Spin Bowling' and 'Advantage India: The Story of Indian Tennis'. He tweets @Cric_Writer. Views are personal. (Edited by Ratan Priya)
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Zheng, Krejcikova headline strong field as women's event returns to Queen's Club after 52-year gap
Top-tier women's tennis returns to Queen's Club for the first time in more than half a century on Monday with the start of the WTA 500 event at the prestigious London establishment. While the men's event has become one of the key dates in the grasscourt season and the build-up to Wimbledon, a women's tournament was last held in 1973. In effect, Olga Morozova can claim to have been the reigning champion for 52 years, but not for much longer. A high-quality field has assembled in south west London, including Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, current Australian champion Madison Keys and former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina. There will also be strong home interest with Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal and Katie Boulter all in the draw. 'I've actually always said to myself, I wish there were a women's event here. I wish I got the chance to play on this court, because you can feel the history and you can feel how incredible it is,' Boulter said in the build-up. ALSO READ | Gauff used words and a mirror to persuade herself she could win the French Open One thing is for sure, it will feel a world away from when Morozova won the title with a wooden racket, spent the week staying in a cheap bed and breakfast in Earl's Court and took a public bus to the courts for her matches. She earned 1,000 pounds for her work that week, although coming from the former Soviet Union meant she could not keep it. The inaugural version of the revamped event will boast total prize money of $1.415 million, the highest for a WTA 500 event of its draw size on the Tour, with the singles champion receiving a cool $164,000. Organisers say they plan to have equal prize money with the men's event, which takes place the following week, by 2029. The ATP event has a total prize fund of $2.87 million. The WTA 250 event in Eastbourne will take place from June 23-28, in the week before Wimbledon. 'We are making significant increases this year to the women's prize money at Queen's and Eastbourne and want to achieve equal prize money as soon as possible,' Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Scott Lloyd said in a statement. 'The LTA is committed to growing women's tennis, both at professional and grass-roots level, and this move is an important part of that commitment,' Scott added.
