Carlos Alcaraz secured a spot in his first French Open final by defeating his friendly rival Jannik Sinner in a grueling five-set match that lasted over four hours on Friday afternoon.
The match was filled with ups and downs, lacking the quality of their previous encounters, including the 2022 U.S. Open quarterfinals which Alcaraz also won in five sets. The third set saw Sinner struggle with a right-hand cramp while Alcaraz failed to capitalize on his erratic play.
Despite being down two sets to one, Alcaraz raised his game when it mattered most. Both the fourth and fifth sets were closely contested, with pivotal moments on serve determining the outcome of each set. Alcaraz successfully converted break points to secure victory at key moments in the match.
“It was a really close match,” Alcaraz stated. “I think really high level of tennis–really high intensity of everything.
“The key was that I took my chances that Jannik brought to me in the match. I capitalized on the break points that I had.”
Sinner also acknowledged the importance of converting crucial points in determining the winner of the match.
Alcaraz now holds a 5-4 lead in the head-to-head series against Sinner.
“The toughest matches that I have played in my short career have been against Jannik,” Alcaraz mentioned during his on-court interview. “I hope to play many more matches like this one against him.”
Alcaraz will meet Alexander Zverev in the final on Sunday after Zverev defeated Casper Ruud in the second semifinal.
