Carlos Alcaraz reaches maiden French Open final, defeats Jannik Sinner in blockbuster showdown

Carlos Alcaraz reached his first French Open final by beating Jannik Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Friday, making the 21-year-old from Spain the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam title match on three surfaces.

Alcaraz won the U.S. Open in 2022 on hard courts, Wimbledon in 2023 on grass and now will play for the championship on the red clay at Roland Garros.

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The No. 3-seeded Alcaraz will face No. 4 Alexander Zverev or No. 7 Casper Ruud in Sunday’s final. Alcaraz kept falling behind in his semifinal and kept turning things around. Before dealing with some physical issues that required multiple visits from a trainer, Sinner led by a break and a set at 2-0 in the second.

Then the second-seeded Sinner went up two sets to one. But Alcaraz never wavered, often using drop shots — sometimes to win points outright, sometimes to set up curling lobs, sometimes to pave the way for slick passing shots — and his big forehand to eventually take control.

Sinner entered the semifinals with a 13-0 record in Grand Slam play in 2024 after winning the Australian Open in January, and he will move up to the No. 1 in the ATP rankings for the first time next week despite Friday’s semifinal loss.