Spanish Carlos Alcaraz He became the youngest male tennis player to win major titles on all three surfaces after beating Alexander Zverev in five sets in the French Open final on Sunday.
Alcaraz won the first set 6-3 and Zverev won the second set 6-2 to level the match. Zverev won the third set 7-5, while Alcaraz won the fourth set 6-1 to take the fifth set. He defeated Zverev 6-2 in the final decisive set.
The 21-year-old Spaniard, who grew up watching his compatriot Rafael Nadal win 14 consecutive trophies at Roland Garros – has now surpassed Nadal to become the youngest man to win major championships on three surfaces. Nadal was about a year and a half older when he accomplished the feat. Alcaraz won the US Open on hard court in 2022 and Wimbledon on grass last year.
“You’re already a Hall of Famer and you’ve already achieved a lot,” Zverev said after the match. “This is not the last time you’re going to win it.”
Alcaraz now leads 3-0 in Grand Slam finals.
Thibault Camus/AP
Zverev, 27, from Germany, was runner-up at the 2020 US Open and has lost in the semi-finals in Paris in each of the past three years. This time, Zverev lost after winning the last five games of the third set to take a lead. Alcaraz’s level dropped during that period and he seemed distracted by a complaint about the condition of the clay at Court Philippe Chatrier, telling chair umpire Renaud Lichtenstein that it was “unbelievable”.
The match marked the first time since 2004 that the Roland Garros men’s final did not feature either Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or Roger Federer.
Nadal lost to Zverev in the first round two weeks ago; three-time champion Djokovic withdrew before the quarterfinals with a knee injury that required surgery; Federer has retired.
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