The first set was classic Jannik Sinner. The ATP No. 1 did not beat himself, played better in the bigger points than his opponent, Carlos Alcaraz, while the Spaniard kept hitting balls into the net that he would normally get.
Still, most service games from both players were tight. Sinner won the first set 6-4, but it still felt like anyone's match. The same held in the second set, too, even though Sinner got an early break. Alcaraz was able to even the set, appeared to have momentum, but Sinner played better in the tie-break, winning it 7-4, and he seemingly had total control of the match.
Or, at least, he might have for a casual tennis fan who did not know Alcaraz or Sinner well. Grand Slam matches on the men's side can go five sets, of course, and putting the final nail in the proverbial coffin of an opponent can be difficult, especially when the two best players on the ATP are facing each other.
Carlos Alcaraz defeats Jannik Sinner in five-set French Open final classic
The Spaniard has historically been the better clay-court player, while the Italian has been recently the much more successful hard-court player. For that reason, even though Sinner is ATP No. 1 and Alcaraz No. 2, the Spaniard was the betting favorite to win his second straight French Open title.
The Paris crowd was firmly behind Alcaraz. Both players are known to be nice guys off the court, but Alcaraz is by far the more emotionally demonstrative, especially in positivity, on the court. This has partly helped him build his huge global fan base.
And even though Alcaraz got down two sets to love, it still felt like he could come back and win. Once he began reducing his unforced errors, he began to reshape the match. The third set featured several breaks, but Alcaraz got the final one at 5-4 at took the set 6-4.
The fourth set remained even until Sinner began to regain the form he had in the first set, and was hitting to angles that punished the Spaniard. At 3-all, the Italian got a break at love and then held serve to get to within one game of the title.
Serving at 3-5, Alcaraz hit a double fault to give Sinner a 30-love lead. The Spaniard appeared to be tiring while the Italian seemed to be ascending. Serving at love-40, Alcaraz got the game back to deuce. Even if he was able to pull through, Sinner still could take the French Open title by holding serve in his next game.
Alcaraz was able to do much more than just even the game, though. He went from facing three championship points to winning the final five points of the game to force Sinner to serve for the victory.
It was astonishing tennis worthy of the two best players in tennis currently, and arguably two of the best ever, even though Alcaraz is just 22 and Sinner only 23.
Sinner appeared to tighten on his first point of his serving game and hit the ball long. Alcaraz had won six straight points, and the match seemed to be changing, even after Sinner hit a brilliant drop shot to even the game at 15-all. Alcaraz was able to get the break to even the fourth set at 5-all, and the Spaniard once again had the momentum.
An interesting thing happened on Alcaraz's next service game when, at 15-love, he appeared to hit the ball long. Sinner said the shot was good, though, and the point was awarded to Alcaraz, allowing him to lead 30-love. He went on to hold, but the shot that Sinner gave Alcaraz was out, according to Hawkeye.
One might have wondered at the time how the game and the outcome of the match might have turned had Sinner not given the point away.
The set went to another tie-break, but Alcaraz appeared to be clearly in charge after coming back from three championship points down, and took the tie-break easily 7-3.
As odd as it might seem after such a tough match through four sets, the outcome seemed destined when Sinner could not take advantage of his championship points. The Spaniard got an early fifth-set break of the Italian to lead 2-love, and the outcome of the match seemed clear. This is especially true after Sinner appeared to cramp up on the last point of being broken.
At 30-all and Alcaraz serving 3-2 in the fifth set, his serve appeared to go long, but there was no call. A frustrated Sinner played the point but argued with the umpire after the point was done. He was right, and he should have been facing a second serve. Alcaraz held to lead 4-2.
The early break in the fifth set of the longest match of the open era at Roland Garros was great for the Spaniard, but Alcaraz needed more. Had he kept holding his serve, even as Sinner kept battling, he would have taken the final set 6-4. He didn't make it. Sinner broke the Spaniard to even the set at 5-all.
Sinner jumped out to a 40-15 lead on his next service game, but faltered, and Alcaraz worked it back to deuce. The Italian took the game.
On Alcaraz's next service game, Sinner forced the game to deuce but Alcaraz hit a freakish cross-court winner to win the game, forcing a fifth-set tie-break.
The Spaniard got a minibreak on Sinner's first point, and Alcaraz held on his next two points to lead the 10-point tie-break 3-love. Alcaraz then got two more breaks and led the tie-break 5-love, and the match seemed done, but the memory of what an excellent match remained and will remain forever. The only wish is if the tie-break had been closer.
In the end, Alcaraz won an astonishing match 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(10-2).
The match was far from technically perfect, but it was still astonishing tennis and arguably the best ever. The players struggled to consistently land first serves, and both made unforced errors that were unusual for them. It is difficult, though, to imagine any other ATP player defeating them in the final.
In getting the five-set French Open victory against the other great player of his generation, Alcaraz likely accomplished a career-defining win. He should have lost after being down two sets and three championship points, but he proved to be the fitter player, both physically and mentally. He earned his second straight title at Roland Garros and his fifth overall Grand Slam title.