Paris: Carlos Alcaraz has made a historic entrance into tennis’s elite ranks, claiming his maiden French Open title and becoming the youngest man to capture Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces. His thrilling five-set victory over Germany’s Alexander Zverev on Sunday ended with scores of 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2, adding to his impressive 2022 U.S. Open and 2023 Wimbledon titles.
At just 21 years old, Alcaraz has become the seventh man to win a major on hard, grass, and clay courts—a feat that eluded many tennis legends, including 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras, who never conquered Roland Garros. By comparison, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, two of the sport’s greatest players, did not master the French Open until their late 20s.
“Since I was a little kid, I was running from school to put on the TV to watch this tournament. Now I am lifting the trophy in front of all of you,” said Alcaraz, who was described by Zverev as a “Hall of Famer.”
Sunday’s defeat added to Zverev’s Grand Slam frustrations. Despite reaching the semifinals eight times, the German is still chasing his first major title. “I’ll be back next year,” he promised.
The match marked the first Roland Garros final in two decades without any member of the Big Three—Rafael Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer. Both Alcaraz and Zverev struggled with consistency, leading to a less-than-stellar display. Despite this, Alcaraz ultimately rose to the occasion, overcoming a resilient Zverev, who came into the final on a 12-match winning streak on clay.
Zverev, the fourth seed, has now lost both his Grand Slam finals, his first defeat coming in the 2020 U.S. Open where he was two points away from victory against Dominic Thiem. Alcaraz, despite previous bouts of nerves at Roland Garros where his compatriot Nadal has won a record 14 titles, maintained his composure despite some hiccups.
On a sunlit court Philippe Chatrier, Alcaraz’s forehand winner down the line gave him an early break, though Zverev quickly leveled for 1-1. Alcaraz then broke to love and held to move 4-2 ahead. He sealed the first set on Zverev’s serve with a crosscourt forehand winner.
The second set saw Alcaraz’s unforced error rate spike, allowing Zverev to break for 3-2. The German won three games in a row to level the contest. Alcaraz broke in the third set but faltered while serving for the set, permitting Zverev to break twice, take the lead at 6-5, and serve out the set.
In the fourth set, Alcaraz broke early for a 2-0 lead with a passing shot, and again for 4-0 with a drop shot. Despite a brief dip in performance and calling the trainer for his left thigh, he secured the set to force a decider. A crucial break in the third game of the fifth set put Alcaraz ahead, and he saved four break points in the next game to extend his lead to 3-1. Zverev, striving to be the first German man to win a Grand Slam since Boris Becker in 1996, saw his chances slip away once more. Alcaraz broke again and clinched the title on his first match point.
