CNN
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Carlos Alcaraz made an extraordinary comeback to win the men’s final at Roland Garros on Sunday, beating the world’s No. 1 Janik Thinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), and 7-6 (2).
In the longest final in tournament history, the Spaniards showed an incredible determination to dodge the sinner’s three championship points in the fourth set, somehow winning with the tiebreaker in the fifth set.
Five and a half hours after he was faced with the first serve of the Thinner match, Alcaraz faced the last of the Italians, falling to the floor as many of Philip Chatelier’s raucous crowds celebrated a victory that he would never forget before falling to the floor.
“I’m grateful for all of my team, my family,” the Spaniard said afterwards. “I have the privilege of being able to live great things with you… this trophy is yours too.”
“This tournament is really, really special to me,” he added. “I can’t wait to come here every year.”
Alcaraz is now 22 years old, 1 month and three days of his fifth major title. His hero, Rafael Nadal, was exactly the same age as winning fifth place at Wimbledon in 2008.
But World No. 2 won none of these. Even this match set’s endless records parade brings no justice to the incredible tennis on display.
This was the second-longest Grand Slam Final in the open era. Alcaraz is the sixth player to return from two sets to win the French Open Finals. The Spaniard was also the youngest player to win two straight men’s single titles in Paris, winning four straight men’s singles between 2005 and 2008 in a row.
Thinner and Alkaraz have long been billed as tennis’s next great rivalry, but until Sunday they never met in the Grand Slam final.
In the build-up, there was a sense that this matchup represented the first of a new era of male tennis. If this has actually been the first glimpse of a new era, tennis fans are taking part in the 10-year roller coaster.
Alkaraz was hit first when he broke the sinner in his fifth match and changed his breakpoint in the seventh. However, the Italian answered quickly on his own break before he had to delay play as Alcaraz appears to have something in his eyes.
He looked out of sorts when he returned to court with still his eyes. Just three minutes later he was broken again, and the sinner was one set up.
The second set continued in a similar way, with Alkaraz down himself 4-1, and his occasional wild shots contrasting his metronomic enemy shots.
The 22-year-old recovered and forced a tiebreak, but his efforts were ultimately in vain. Suddenly, he has to do something he has never done before. Come back from the second set to win a Grand Slam match.
Such a comeback seemed impossible when the Spaniards were unable to hold his serve in the first game of the third set. However, less than 15 minutes later, Alcaraz returned twice to lead the third.
Long ago he was serving for the set. The sinner had other ideas and fought back with a strong forehand to get things back to serve. However, Alcaraz should not be denied this time, and fought back immediately five months ago to confirm that the Italians had lost their grand slam set for the first time since the fourth round of Australia’s opening.
The sinner seemed to have finally been hit with a decisive blow when he broke his opponent 4-3 in the fourth set. Thinner scored three championship points, but it looked like he ended for Alcaraz.
Queue one of the biggest comebacks of the open era.
Alcaraz scored the next five points to pull the clutch hold away, followed by eight of the next nine. The sinner forced a tiebreak, but the Spaniards now have momentum and recovered from the minibreak to force a fifth set.
When the 22-year-old broke the sinner in the first game of the decisive set, it seemed his grit and determination had outperformed his opponent’s calm and technique. However, there was another twist when Thinner showed that he could also hang in the match and return clearly with ease as Alkaraz is working in the championship.
An astonishing match requires a third tiebreak to resolve it. After 5 hours and 29 minutes he was able to perform when he needed it most, finishing 10-2 after scoring his first 7 points.
It was a final that you could see – the sinner actually outperformed his opponent by 193 points to 192 points, but it was Alcaraz who managed to make the decisive hit.
“I want to start with Janik, that’s amazing, the level you have,” the Spaniard said afterwards. “I know the hard work you have every day, it’s huge… I’m sure you’ll be a champion not just once but many times.
“I’m really, really happy to be able to make history with you in this tournament in other tournaments. You’re a huge inspiration for everyone.
Criminal – A sinner who achieved an undesirable record of becoming the first player in the open era won the first 20 sets of the men’s singles grand slam event, earning him not winning the title.
“It’s easier to play than you can talk about now,” he said following his first defeat in the major final. “My team, obviously, thank you for putting me in this position. I did my best today.
“I won’t sleep well tonight, but I’m fine,” he added.
This story has been updated with additional developments.