Alcaraz tops Sinner to reach 1st French Open final

It's currently 06:02 PM on June 7th, 2024.

On Friday, Carlos Alcaraz made it to his first French Open final after defeating Jannik Sinner in a five-set match. The 21-year-old athlete from Spain has become the youngest man in history to make it to a Grand Slam title match on three different surfaces.

Alcaraz emerged victorious in the US Open of 2022, played on hard courts. He then secured the championship at Wimbledon in 2023, which took place on grass. Currently, he is set to compete for the title on the red clay courts of Roland Garros. His hard-fought match against Sinner lasted an exhausting 4 hours and 9 minutes, but he managed to make a comeback and advance to the next round.

Alcaraz remarked that the match was one of the most challenging games he's ever played. He admitted that Jannik was his most formidable opponent so far. Despite this, Alcaraz was able to snatch the victory, even though he won two fewer points than Sinner with a score of 147-145.

Alcaraz, seeded No. 3, is set to compete in the final on Sunday against either Alexander Zverev or Casper Ruud. This will mark the first time since 2004 that the French Open men's title match doesn't include Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or Roger Federer.

Djokovic held the title in Paris, but he had to pull out of the quarterfinals as he sustained an injury in his right knee, which resulted in meniscus tear. Consequently, he underwent surgery this week. Since he was unable to make it back to the finals, he will not retain his position as the ATP ranking leader. This will give Sinner a chance to move up to the No. 1 spot, despite his loss on Friday.

Sinner, a 22-year-old tennis player, made it to the semifinals with a perfect 13-0 record in Grand Slam tournaments in 2024, which included his victory in the Australian Open earlier this year. However, the Italian athlete also arrived in Paris with a persistent hip injury that prevented him from participating in the clay-court event in Rome last month.

The second semifinal on Friday was supposed to feature Zverev from Germany who is ranked number 4 and Ruud from Norway who is ranked number 7. However, prior to the match, Zverev had to deal with a domestic abuse case in Berlin which ended that same day. This was due to an out-of-court settlement that he made with his former girlfriend who was his accuser.

The Alcaraz and Sinner match took place during the afternoon when the sky was clear with no clouds visible.

Many people believe that these two players are the future of men's tennis. However, they are already doing quite well in the present. Although their ninth match against each other wasn't the most visually appealing, with a combined 102 unforced errors, there were still times when they showed off their skill and impressed the audience at Court Philippe-Chatrier. The crowd even started chanting both of their first names in support. Alcaraz currently has a 5-4 lead in their head-to-head meetings.

In the third set, both players experienced physical difficulties, but Sinner managed to win. Alcaraz had cramps in his right hand, which he tried to stretch out, while Sinner received massages for his right forearm and left leg. This reminded some viewers of the French Open semifinals from last year, where Alcaraz did really well against Djokovic at first, but in the third set he suffered from cramps all over his body, which impacted the rest of the game.

Alcaraz shared that he gained valuable experience from his previous match against Djokovic, where he found himself in a similar situation as he is now. He emphasized the importance of remaining composed and persistent during moments of discomfort as the pain will eventually subside. Alcaraz emphasized the importance of staying determined and fighting through the challenge.

Without a doubt, he continuously used drop shots to his advantage. These shots were used in various ways including winning points directly, setting up high, arcing shots or leading up to an impressive passing shot or powerful forehand.

During the fifth set of the match, as the shadows were covering over 50% of the court, Alcaraz took the lead by sliding forward and executing a backhand passing winner. This earned him a break point and he solidified his lead with a forehand winner, his 30th of the game. This moment caused his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, a former winner of the French Open in 2003, to exclaim "Vamos!" in excitement. The match had been going on for 3 and a half hours at this point.

In no time, Alcaraz was leading with a score of 3-0.

Both competitors hit the ball with immense power, causing the sound of the ball hitting the strings to be so loud that it startled the audience in the middle of the game.

Sinner arrived at the beginning of the game wearing a shirt that was slightly darker than the clay court. He was focused and played exceptionally, rarely making any mistakes. He moved effortlessly around the court and reached every ball that Alcaraz hit to him. Alcaraz, on the other hand, had his right arm covered with a white sleeve and tended to hit powerful shots towards the corners, which he emphasized with a grunt. Sinner would, somehow, manage to reach the ball and return it, causing Alcaraz to make an error.

Sinner had a commanding 4-0 lead, and it took Alcaraz a full 20 minutes of intense effort before he was able to get a point on the board.

The main figure to focus on from the match is this: For points that only lasted four strokes or less, the two players both won 13 each. However, when it came to points that lasted longer, Sinner was ahead with 19 wins compared to Alcaraz's 8 wins. As time passed during the match, Alcaraz began to make an effort to have shorter points.

Alcaraz didn't start off well in the second set, losing the first two games. However, he didn't give up easily. He managed to change the game's course just at the right moment by winning five consecutive games, gaining control of the set.

Following Sinner's two-set lead, Alcaraz managed to extend the game to a decisive fifth set. He sealed the fourth set with a backhand winner across the court, expressing his excitement by raising his right fist and shaking it.

Alcaraz's game gained more energy and the audience's noise increased as he maintained his lead in the final set without losing momentum.

The important thing is to discover happiness during hardship. Especially on clay courts like at Roland Garros, where matches can last for hours and go up to five sets with lots of extended rallies. It's essential to put up a fight and bear the pain to succeed. However, I often tell my team that they must learn to appreciate the struggle and find joy in it.