June 7, (THEWILL)- Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz showed tremendous grit and determination to overcome a stern challenge from Jannik Sinner in a four-hour marathon at Roland Garros on Friday. The 21-year-old prevailed 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3 to reach his first French Open final.
Alcaraz looked shellshocked early on as Sinner raced through the opening set. However, the third seed steadied himself and capitalised when the Italian started suffering from cramps to level the match at one-set all. In a roller-coaster contest, Sinner reclaimed the lead before Alcaraz’s greater consistency proved decisive in the closing stages.
With the roof closed on Philippe Chatrier due to fading light, the drama reached a crescendo as Alcaraz finally converted his third match point when a stretched Sinner missed a forehand down the line. The triumph sets up a mouth-watering final against either Alexander Zverev or Casper Ruud on Sunday.
Alcaraz will be motivated to add the French Open to his Australian Open and Wimbledon crowns. Victory would make the Spaniard the third youngest man to achieve a career Grand Slam in the Open Era after Rod Laver and Mats Wilander.
After over four gruelling hours, Sinner was understandably devastated at missing out on a second Grand Slam final appearance. Nevertheless, the 22-year-old is set to become world number one for the first time on Monday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
