The 22-year-old Carlos Alcaraz came back from two sets down for the first time in his career to remain undefeated in Grand Slam finals.
In the second unforgettable No. 1 vs. No. 2 French Open final of the weekend, the defending champion, Alcaraz rallied to beat his rival, the Italian Jannik Sinner, 4-6, 6-7 (7-4), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (10-2) for his fifth Grand Slam singles championship. The 22-year-old Spaniard came back from two sets down for the first time in his career to remain undefeated in Grand Slam finals.
At more than five hours and 25 minutes, it was the longest French Open final of the Open era and the second-longest men’s final at any Grand Slam.
Alcaraz, seeded second, saved three match points in the fourth set to send the match the distance. He extended his edge to 8-4 against Sinner. He will head to Wimbledon, which begins June 30, as the defending champion there, as well.
Sinner, a 23-year-old with three Grand Slam trophies of his own, saw his 20-match winning streak at major tournaments snapped; it had dated back to last year’s U.S. Open. He began the year by winning the Australian Open before serving a three-month ban in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency. The time off had hardly slowed his roll: The world No. 1 had not dropped a set in Paris before Sunday.
In Saturday’s women’s final, second-seeded Coco Gauff won her first French Open title, climbing back from a set down to triumph over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 6-7 (7-5), 6-2, 6-4.