French Open: Alcaraz Overcomes Zverev ToLand First Title

A scrappy five-set battle saw Carlos Alcaraz emerge victorious at the French Open, finally securing the title many expected him to win.

Third seed Alcaraz won Alexander Zverev 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-1 6-2 on the Roland Garros clay.

The Spaniard was below the level of confidence and consistency which enabled him to win his first two major finals – at the US Open in 2022 and last year’s Wimbledon.

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But the 21-year-old came through to become the youngest man to win Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces.

Clay was the surface which Alcaraz grew up playing on in his hometown of Murcia and the French Open event he dreamt of winning.

He instantly fell on to his back – in a celebration akin to 14-time champion Rafael Nadal – when he took his first match point after four hours and 19 minutes with a forehand winner.

“I used to watch the tournament on television and I’m now lifting the title,” said Alcaraz, who was presented with the trophy by six-time champion Bjorn Borg.

German fourth seed Zverev, who was looking to finally land his first Grand Slam title, presented a formidable opponent after a 12-match winning streak on the red dirt.

Despite predictions of future glory, the 27-year-old has yet to claim his first major title. This marks his second defeat in a Grand Slam final.

“I feel like I did everything I could,” said Zverev, who lost to Dominic Thiem from two sets up in the 2020 US Open final.

Carlos played fantastic. He played better than me in the fourth and fifth set. It’s how it is.”

Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek achieved the rare feat of winning a third successive French Open women’s title with a comprehensive victory over Italian 12th seed Jasmine Paolini.

Poland’s Swiatek continued her recent dominance on the Roland Garros clay with a 6-2 6-1 win against first-time major finalist Paolini.