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By the numbers: Carlos Alcaraz and his performance for the ages in French Open final

By the numbers: Carlos Alcaraz and his performance for the ages in French Open final

PARIS (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his French Open title on Sunday with a performance for the ages, winning the longest final at Roland-Garros in the Open era.
Alcaraz produced a stunning comeback, rallying from two sets down to beat top-ranked Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) after saving three match points.
Here's a by-the-numbers look at the thrilling final:
5
Alcaraz won his fifth Grand Slam title, in as many finals. The 22-year-old Spaniard became the third youngest man in history to reach that milestone after Bjorn Borg (21) and Rafael Nadal (22). And it was the fifth time in succession Alcaraz has beaten Sinner overall.
5 hours, 29 minutes
This was the longest men's final at Roland-Garros. The previous record was held by Mats Wilander and Guillermo Vilas in 1982 (4 hours and 42 minutes).
3
The number of match points saved by Alcaraz. He battled back from 3–5, 0-40 down in the fourth set. He saved the first match point when Sinner sent a forehand long. Sinner missed a return on the second, then Alcaraz came out on top of a short baseline rally. Alcaraz is just the third man in the Open era to save at least one championship point on his way to a Grand Slam trophy, joining Gaston Gaudio at the 2004 French Open and Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2019.
2
It was only the second time that a men's singles Grand Slam final was decided at the fifth set tiebreaker after Dominic Thiem defeated Alexander Zverev at the 2020 U.S. Open.
9
Alcaraz is the ninth man in the Open era to rally from two sets down to win a major final.
22
The number of wins on clay for Alcaraz this year, with only one defeat.
1
Alcaraz has won a best-of-5 match after losing the opening two sets for the first time.
___
AP tennis:
https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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Follow reaction to Coco Gauff's French Open victory after the 21-year-old American's thrilling three-set battle with the World No. 1 Getty Images The Athletic Coco Gauff fought back from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 in a rollercoaster French Open final. It is the second Grand Slam singles triumph of Gauff's career and her maiden Roland Garros title, adding to the US Open title she won in 2023, also by beating Sabalenka. 'I was going through a lot of things when I lost here three years ago,' Gauff said after her victory, referencing her straight sets defeat to Iga Swiatek in the 2022 final. 'I'm just glad to be back here. I was going through a lot of dark thoughts. Three finals ... I guess I got the most important win. That's all that matters.' Sabalenka recovered from a 4-1 deficit in an exciting first set tiebreak only to make a huge number of mistakes in the second and third as Gauff seized control. 'This hurts so much,' the World No. 1 said afterwards. 'Congratulations to Coco, she was a better player than me.' Get involved: live@ GO FURTHER French Open final: Coco Gauff beats Aryna Sabalenka to win second Grand Slam title Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Getty Images Gauff *3-4 Sabalenka Sabalenka goes long, 10 points in a row, and another unforced error, 11 on the bounce! Gauff has definitely stepped it up, but how has she lost that feel so quickly? Tennis is such a mental game at times like these. Sabalenka needs to slow things down, take her time, trust her processes. Oosh, wide and into the tramlines, 12 points in a row. She chews her lip unhappily. Three break points! One saved as Gauff isn't accurate enough. Two saved as Sabalenka whips a brutal forehand into space. And three saved, Sabalenka has dug herself out! Gauff goes down on her haunches to hit a flat backhand and Sabalenka just unleashes another winner. Deuce. Catharsis, thy name is Aryna. 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Gauff 1-0* Sabalenka Gauff's first serve is wide but Sabalenka then goes long on the second, 15-0 in the first point of the match and a nice little nerve-settle for the slight underdog. Two wild swipes after robust returns from Sabalenka, 15-30, but a big serve makes it 30-30. Sabalenka is on top of the rally after eyeing up a slower second serve, but Gauff changes the pace with a slice and Sabalenka nets. A seriously spinning forehand into the bottom-right corner of the court and Sabalenka nets again. Getty Images Top seed Aryna Sabalenka against second seed Coco Gauff. On the red clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier, Roland Garros' show court, the showpiece at the 2025 French Open. Gauff to serve first. And it's live!

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