Carlos Alcaraz moved one step closer to his first French Open title after defeating next-generation world number one Jannik Sinner in a highly anticipated semi-final.
Spain’s third seed Alcaraz showed resilience, coming from behind twice to win 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Alcaraz missed two match points, first hitting the net after a baseline battle and then hitting a forehand long, but then converted a third opportunity.
Italy’s second seed Sinner, who suffered cramps in the third set, was seeking back-to-back major titles after winning the Australian Open in January.
But as the match progressed, Alcaraz got stronger and emerged victorious.
“You have to find joy in the pain, that’s the key,” Alcaraz said.
“Here on clay you have to fight even harder, the long rallies, the four-hour matches, the five sets, but you have to enjoy the pain.”
The 20-year-old has already won the 2022 US Open and last year’s Wimbledon, putting her one win away from completing a career Grand Slam triumph.
Alcaraz will face either fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany or seventh-seeded Kasper Ruud of Norway in the men’s final on Sunday.
Zverev and Ruud, both seeking their first Grand Slam titles, will meet in the second semifinal later on Friday.
Zverev played just hours after his trial in Berlin over allegations of domestic violence by his ex-girlfriend was dropped.
Alcaraz wins one of the ‘toughest’ matches
The budding rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz has many in the tennis world believing they could fill the void left by their aging superstars.
The 2022 US Open quarterfinals finished at 2:50 a.m. in New York in a surprising turn of events, but one that few will forget was epic.
This was a different type of match, with neither player performing at their best consistently, and rarely at their best at the same time.
But the bout developed into a gripping contest with both fighters relying on their hearts as well as their heads at times.
“It was definitely one of the toughest games I’ve ever played,” Alcaraz said.
Sinner got off to a perfect start, taking Alcaraz’s serve, creating two break points and holding at love twice to take a 4-0 lead.
Sinner continued to stump Alcaraz in the early stages of the second set, forcing multiple forehand errors with solid defense and deep returns.
Another break early in the match gave Sinner the lead, but that quickly changed.
Alcaraz found better angles and precision with Sinner struggling to hit deep, breaking twice and turning a 2-0 deficit into a 5-2 lead to tie the match.
After trading breaks at the start of the third set, Alcaraz missed four more chances at 2-2 as Sinner suffered cramps in his playing arm.
After treatment, Sinner recovered well enough to play in the next match but now requires further treatment from a physiotherapist on his foot.
Sinner served out the match to regain the lead, but a wild overhead shot put the score wide with Alcaraz stuck at 30-15, 5-4 in the fourth set and it proved costly.
Last year, Alcaraz suffered full-body cramps in his first French Open semi-final and later claimed it was due to the strain of playing against the incomparable Novak Djokovic.
This time around, he seemed more relaxed as the match progressed, eventually taking the lead and scoring the winning goal.
