Amazing Alcaraz battles to win epic French Open final

In his ascent to becoming a four-time grand slam champion at the age of 22, there was one thing that Carlos Alcaraz had yet to manage: in eight attempts, the Spaniard had never before come from two sets down to win a match.

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD AT ROLAND GARROS

He had certainly never come from three championship points down, in a grand slam final. As Jannik Sinner, the world number one, stood on the brink of extending his winning streak to a third grand slam title, the odds of Alcaraz beating his young rival looked impossible.

But Alcaraz held a super-power up his sleeve: in an astonishing, five-hour, 29-minute epic, the deeper the trouble Alcaraz faced, the higher the level he produced, and the further he soared. When Sinner stood with three championship points in the fourth set, at 5-3 0-40 on the Alcaraz serve, the Spaniard licked his lips, wiped his brow, and got to work. He saved all three, whipping his arms and roaring around Court Philippe-Chatrier.

And from being that close to defeat against the dominant Italian, Alcaraz pulled off his most astonishing escape yet, winning 4-6 6-7 6-4 7-6 7-6 (10-2) in a match tiebreak to end one of the greatest tennis matches ever played, as well as the longest French Open final in history.

He defended his Roland Garros crown on the Paris clay, winning his fifth grand slam title while, somehow, remaining undefeated in major finals. He did so after saving those three championship points, then as Sinner served for his third consecutive grand slam, and then as Alcaraz raced away with a one-sided final tiebreak.

Even on those three championship points, Alcaraz always believed he could join the select group of men to win a grand slam final from match point down. “I think the real champions are made in situations when you deal with that pressure,” Alcaraz said. “That's why I saw my best tennis in crucial moments, and that's why I saw my best tennis in those difficult situations.”