In the longest men’s championship match in history at Roland Garros, Carlos Alcaraz toppled Jannik Sinner in five sets to retain his crown at the French Open and win his fifth career Grand Slam. After trailing 30-15 at one point late in the fifth set and previously trailing two sets to none, Alcaraz won 14 of the final 17 points, including a 10-2 dominant showing in the tiebreak.
Alcaraz won for the first time in his career trailing by two sets in a major, doing so against the world No. 1. He is the third-fastest player to reach five Grand Slam titles, trailing only Bjorn Borg (7) and Rafael Nadal (5). Alcaraz’s 5-0 start in Grand Slam finals is the best mark to open a career since Roger Federer won his first seven.
Andre Agassi handed Alcaraz a well-earned trophy after the 5.5-hour marathon culminated with one of the Spaniard’s top wins of his career.
“It is amazing the level you (play) at,” Alcaraz told Sinner. “Honestly, I know how hard you’re taking this tournament. I’m pretty sure you’ll be champion not once, but many, many times. It’s a privilege to share the court with you. I’m really happy to be able to make history with you. Thank you for being a great inspiration and good luck for what’s to come.
“Thank you to my team, my family. I was lucky to have a lot of people who came from (home) to support me. I can’t wait to here year after year.”
For Sinner, a fifth straight loss to Alcaraz came at the worst time — after leading by two sets with the luxury triple-championship point in the fifth. Sinner won 193 points in the match to Alcaraz’s 192, an epic finish for both of the top players on the men’s side.
“Carlos, congrats, amazing performance, amazing battle, amazing everything,” Sinner said. “I’m very happy for you and you deserve it. We tried our best today. We gave everything we had. Sometime ago, I would’ve signed (up) to be here. It’s very, very difficult, but it’s okay. I’m still happy with this one, it’s an amazing trophy.”
Sinner’s 32-set winning streak in major tournaments came to an end in the third set after Alcaraz was finally starting to figure him out. Then, Alcaraz was victories in consecutive tiebreaks, including an exhilarating effort to finish off the final in the fifth set.
