Carlos Alcaraz won his first French Open title on Sunday, beating Alexander Zverev in a demanding five-set final. The 21-year-old Spaniard took the match 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 to become the youngest man to win a Grand Slam title on all three surfaces.
Overcoming a deficit and his own body
Alcaraz started well, taking the first set with a single break. Zverev answered by levelling the match in the second, then swept the last five games of the third set to move ahead. Alcaraz appeared troubled by the court condition and soon faced a two-sets-to-one hole.
A medical timeout for his left thigh came early in the fourth set. He stepped back onto the clay and responded not with caution but with a fierce push, racing through the set 6-1 to force a decider after 4 hours and 19 minutes of play.
A flicked pass seals a surface sweep
Alcaraz broke early in the fifth and held his nerve. Serving at 4-2, he produced a flicked backhand passing shot to set up three break points, then cracked a forehand down the line to earn the chance to serve for the title.
He did so without fuss. A big serve set up a final angled forehand that fell short, dropping him to the red dirt as the eighth Spanish man to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
"Winning a Grand Slam is always special. Winning your first in every Grand Slam is always super special," he told reporters afterwards. The title was his third major, leaving him three wins from three in Grand Slam finals. On a court long ruled by his idol, Alcaraz just made his own mark.
