Carlos Alcaraz reigns supreme in Paris. The 21-year-old Spaniard claimed his first French Open title on Sunday afternoon at Roland Garros, taking down No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
It is the third slam title of Alcaraz’s young career (2022 US Open, 2023 Wimbledon) and makes him the youngest player in the modern era to win a slam on all three surfaces. This French Open final lived up to the hype and more. It was just the second Roland Garros final to go the distance in the last 25 years, giving fans around the world four hours and 19 minutes of high-level tennis.
The ebbs and flows in this battle were a microcosm of the sport. Its back-and-forth nature kept fans on the edge of their seats as pressure mounted and shifted with every point. Let’s get into the match breakdown and see how Alcaraz captured his maiden French Open title.
Alcaraz and Zverev both showed early signs of nerves, trading breaks in the first two games of the match. However, it was the 21-year-old Spaniard who quickly found his rhythm. Alcaraz secured two more breaks in the first set, including in the ninth game, giving him the 6-3 first-set victory.
The Spaniard entered this match on a 44-match Grand Slam winning streak when winning set No. 1. No one expected the German to go down without a fight, and he quickly found his level in the second set.
The set featured some grueling games, including a 10:18 first-game hold from Alcaraz. But it was clear that Zverev was knocking, and the .
