Carlos Alcaraz came from two sets behind to defeat Jannik Sinner in a blockbuster French Open final at Roland Garros.
The first final between the game’s top two-ranked players in the world was always going to be a classic on paper, but boy, did it live up to the billing in the best possible fashion.
Alcaraz was on the brink. He faced three Championship points at 5-4 down in the third set but produced a performance that simply defied logic to eventually claim the French Open title.
He won a tie-break to take it to a fourth set and then won the fourth set 6-4 before having a chance to win it himself in the fifth, before Sinner managed to break back.
Alcaraz was sensational in the ten-point decider and battered Sinner into submission with a dominant display.
Jannik Sinner sends message to Carlos Alcaraz after French Open final
Sinner was as classy as ever in defeat, with the two players clearly having a lot of respect for each other.
Through a broken voice and close to tears, Sinner paid tribute to his opponent but admitted this would be a tough one to take.
He said: “First of all, Carlos, congrats again. An amazing performance, an amazing battle, an amazing everything. To you and your team, an amazing job. I am very happy for you, and you deserve it, so congrats.
“It’s easier to play than to talk now. But my team, thank you so much for putting me in this position. We tried our best today, we gave everything we had, some time ago we would have signed to be here, so still an amazing tournament even though it’s very, very difficult for now, but it’s okay.”
Mardy Fish makes claim about Jannik Sinner match with Carlos Alcaraz
This was a match that simply rivalled anything that we’ve seen from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in yesteryear.
It was a topsy-turvy encounter that simply had everything, and if this match is anything to go by, tennis is firmly in good hands.
Sinner will lose sleep over how close he was to beating Alcaraz and getting his hands on the French Open title for the first time, but this is top-level tennis.
The 21-year-old showcased why he’s won this title before and proved that the clay of the French Open is a venue that he intends to be dominant on in the future.
The match will live long in the memory and as everyone takes a breath, Alcaraz and Sinner can look back on playing their part in a truly elite match.
After the match, Mardy Fish posted on X that this was as good as it gets. He said: Toughest sport in the world. No clock to run out. No timeouts to call. No subs to come in for you. No one to sit there and tell you what to do. This is as good as it gets.”
Both players looked completely spent at the end, and for Sinner, he will hope to park this one and get his hands on the Wimbledon title next month instead.
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