Carlos Alcaraz of Spain (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
PARIS – Carlos Alcaraz outlasted Jannik Sinner in a five-set battle on Friday to reach his first French Open final, where he will face Alexander Zverev who beat two-time runner-up Casper Ruud.
The Spanish two-time Grand Slam champion pulled off a 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over new world No. 1 Sinner of Italy in the semifinals after four hours and nine minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier, which made the 21-year-old the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam final on three surfaces.
"I hope to play many, many more matches like this one against Jannik but it's one of the toughest I've played for sure," said Alcaraz.
"I'm really happy about everything I did today. I waited for my moment until I took it."
Alcaraz will be the favorite heading into Sunday's final as he aims to become the youngest man to win Grand Slam titles on clay, grass and hard courts.
The Spaniard won championships at the US Open in 2022 on hard court and at Wimbledon in 2023 on grass.
Fourth-seeded Zverev from Germany, who had lost in the semifinals at Roland Garros in each of the past three years, fought back to beat Ruud of Norway 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in a repeat of their last-four clash 12 months ago, reaching his second Grand Slam final.
The 27-year-old Zverev holds a career 5-4 winning record against Alcaraz, including a victory in their only previous Roland Garros meeting in the 2022 quarterfinals. (Xinhua)
