[ad_1]
PARIS (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz reached his first French Open final on Friday, defeating Yannik Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, becoming the youngest Spaniard in history to play in a Grand Slam championship on three different venues at 21 years old.
Alcaraz, who won titles at the U.S. Open hard court and the 2023 Wimbledon grass court, will now compete for the title on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
“You have to find a way to enjoy the pain, that’s the key,” Alcaraz said in a courtside interview. “Here at Roland Garros there are long rallies, long matches. You have to fight and suffer.”
Seeded third in Paris, Alcaraz will face either Alexander Zverev (No. 4) or Kasper Ruud (No. 7) in Sunday’s final.
Alcaraz had to come back again and again in the semifinals. After dealing with some physical discomfort that required multiple visits to a physiotherapist, Sinner took a set and led 2-0 in the second.
“I noticed he was having a little bit of a hard time. I had cramps and he had cramps in the third inning,” Alcaraz said.
Sinner led 2-1. But Alcaraz never gave up — often winning points with short balls, lofting them high and then doing damage with his cross-court returns — until he finally took control with a powerful forehand.
“This was probably one of the toughest matches I’ve had in my career,” said Alcaraz, who is 5-4 in his direct all-time against Sinner in an increasingly tight rivalry on tour. “I hope to play more matches like this against him.”
Sinner improved to 13-0 in Grand Slams in 2024 after winning the Australian Open in January. Despite Friday’s loss, the Italian will replace Novak Djokovic at the top of the ATP rankings for the first time next week.
[ad_2]
Source link
