Carlos Alcaraz pulled off a sensational comeback on Sunday, saving three championship points and rallying from two sets down to defeat world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in an unforgettable French Open final.
The 22-year-old Spaniard triumphed 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) in a five-hour, 29-minute battle—the longest final in Roland Garros history. With the victory, Alcaraz captured his fifth Grand Slam title and maintained a perfect record in major finals.
In a clash that marked the first Grand Slam final between two players born in the 2000s, Alcaraz ended Sinner’s 20-match winning streak at majors and denied the Italian a third straight Grand Slam crown following his US Open and Australian Open triumphs.
Alcaraz, who had never before come back from two sets down in his career, dug deep after a sluggish start. Sinner dominated early, taking the first two sets and breaking to open the third. But Alcaraz roared back with four consecutive games, eventually forcing a fourth set.
Sinner looked poised for victory again in the fourth, breaking to lead 5-3 and holding three championship points. But Alcaraz, feeding off the energy of the raucous Philippe Chatrier crowd, saved all three and broke back to extend the match.
With momentum on his side, Alcaraz took control in the final-set tiebreak, finishing with a blazing forehand winner on his first championship point.
The win makes Alcaraz the third-youngest man to win five Grand Slam titles, following legends Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal. It also extends his head-to-head lead over Sinner to 8-5 and marks his second win over the Italian this season after a victory in Rome.
This classic final not only showcased the relentless resilience of Alcaraz but also confirmed that the future of men’s tennis is in thrillingly good hands.
