Stunning final sets high bar for years of Alcaraz v Sinner clashes

Five hours into the madness, when their legs should have been fading and sanity departing, the miraculous French Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner ascended to even greater heights.

- Tumaini Carayol

So much had already happened. For a long time, Alcaraz had been dominated with the same ruthless efficiency Sinner reserved for the rest of the field, and he soon stared into the abyss, trailing triple championship point at 3-5, 0-40 in the fourth set.

That moment would instead mark the beginning of Alcaraz's unprecedented, preposterous comeback as he completely turned the match around. He soon closed in on victory, leading by a break in the fifth set against a weary opponent. With his back to the wall, time running out, Sinner produced a transcendent return game as Alcaraz served for the title at 5-4 to draw level again.

In their delirium, desperation meeting sheer ambition, the moment elicited the best of both players. Having invested so much into their pursuit of this title, they simply had no choice but to abjure all thoughts from their minds and swing as freely as possible. The frenzied final games of the 2025 French Open final will go down among the greatest stretches of play in the history of grand slam championship matches. In the end, the suffocating pressure imposed by Sinner inspired Alcaraz to elevate his own level to wondrous heights.