Full article

Carlos Alcaraz wins the battle against Sinner in a historic Roland Garros final

Carlos Alcaraz was at it again, this time on the biggest stage in clay tennis: Roland Garros. The Murcia native played a legendary match in the final against Jannik Sinner, coming back from two sets down and saving three match points to win his fifth Grand Slam title. All this at just 22 years of age. Yes, again. And yes, another crazy feat.

The match had the feel of a modern classic. Alcaraz versus Sinner is already a rivalry that is beginning to take its place among the greats of tennis, and what happened at the Philippe Chatrier confirms this. The Italian started off dominating with authority. He took the first two sets, taking advantage of the inaccuracies of an erratic Carlitos, who was even somewhat uncomfortable due to eye discomfort. Sinner was on a roll, with a streak of 20 consecutive Grand Slam victories, and it seemed that nothing could stop him. But with Alcaraz on the other side of the net, nothing can ever be taken for granted.

The Spaniard's reaction began in the third set. He clenched his fist, looked at his corner and said, ‘We're going to fight this out until the end.’ He began to find his rhythm, depth and, above all, confidence. He took that third set and put the pressure on. In the fourth set, when it seemed that the Italian had everything he needed to close out the match with three match points, Carlitos pulled off an epic comeback. He fought them off with courage, mental strength and skill, forcing a tiebreak that he would go on to win. The match was already a classic. And there was more to come.

The fifth set was a thriller. Blow for blow, point for point, game for game. No one gave anything away and the outcome ended in a super tiebreak to the best of 10. There, where the legs burn the most and the pulse trembles, Alcaraz was pure ice. He closed out the match with a trademark forehand pass and collapsed onto the clay, knowing that he had just achieved one of the greatest victories of his career.

The final score: 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3) and 7-6(2). Five hours and 29 minutes of pure battle. The longest final in the history of Roland Garros and the second longest in all Grand Slams, surpassed only by the marathon between Djokovic and Nadal in Australia in 2012.

With this victory, Alcaraz equals Nadal's number of Grand Slam titles with his fifth title at the age of 22. And he does so as a true “killer” in finals: he has played five and won five. The numbers don't lie. It's not just talent, it's character, ambition and a cool head when the match is heating up.

For his part, Sinner leaves with the feeling that he had it in his hands, but once again he came up against his nemesis. He has now lost five times in a row to the Spaniard. He had everything going for him, including the crowd, who, except for the Italian bench, cheered Carlitos on with everything they had. Even Agassi, present in the box, surrendered to the Murcian's talent. It was he who presented him with the Musketeers' Cup.

Alcaraz is no longer the future. He is the present. And after the battle of Paris, his legend has only grown.