Carlos Alcaraz staged a sensational comeback to defeat Jannik Sinner in a French Open final that will go down in history, saving three championship points to triumph from two sets down on Sunday.
The reigning champion clawed his way back to beat the world number one 4–6, 6–7 (4–7), 6–4, 7–6 (7–3), 7–6 (10–2) after five hours and 29 minutes of gripping play on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The 22-year-old Spaniard has now won all five Grand Slam finals he has contested, breaking Sinner’s 20-match winning streak at the majors in the process.
Alcaraz achieved his first-ever comeback from two sets down in what became the longest final in Roland Garros history, surpassing the 1982 showdown between Mats Wilander and Guillermo Vilas.
He also became the third-youngest man to win five major titles, following in the footsteps of Björn Borg and fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
Despite showing tremendous skill and resilience, Sinner narrowly missed out on a third consecutive Grand Slam title after his US Open win last year and back-to-back Australian Open victories.
This match marked the first Grand Slam final between players born in the 2000s. Alcaraz extended his head-to-head lead over Sinner to 8–5, having also defeated him recently in Rome — Sinner’s first event back after a three-month doping ban.
As Alcaraz collapsed to the clay in celebration, the tennis world witnessed a defining moment between two stars set to dominate the sport for years to come.
