Paris, Jun 9 (EFE) – Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz won his first Roland Garros and his third Grand Slam on Sunday after overcoming German Alexander Zverev in the final, 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2, in 4 hours and 19 minutes.
At the end of the match, the 21-year-old, who climbed to No. 2 in the ATP rankings, dropped to the floor of the Philippe Chatrier court before approaching the stands to be hugged by his team and family.
Alcaraz becomes the tenth Spaniard to win the clay-court Grand Slam and the youngest winner of major trophies on all three surfaces.
He is also the second-youngest winner of Roland Garros behind Rafa Nadal, the only two players to win the tournament before turning 22.
Zverev managed to win the second and third sets but faltered in the next two, squandering the opportunity to win his first Grand Slam.
The 27-year-old German lacked a little encouragement to win the final and add to his extraordinary run of twelve consecutive victories that began in Rome, where he won his sixth Masters 1000.
Sunday’s defeat might be tough to shake for the German, as it came in the same scenario that will host the Olympic Games in a few months, where he will try to renew his gold medal.
Roland Garros was waiting for a new king in 2024 after the 38-year-old Rafa Nadal, who holds 14 French titles, lost in the first round, and Novak Djokovic, 37, withdrew due to injury.
With no clear favorite, Sunday’s final promised to be intense.
Alcaraz was coming off a tough battle against Italy’s Jannik Sinner, the future ATP No. 1, from which he emerged victorious and did not seem to want another tough match.
However, the match prooved to be intense.
Despite Zverev’s two consecutive double faults to start the match, his serves did not go below 200 kilometers per hour (110 miles per hour).
Alcaraz managed to counter with his return, minimizing his opponent’s deadliest weapon.
They exchanged breaks, but the Spaniard improved and pulled several moves that tested his opponent’s attention.
He broke three of Zverev’s serves in the first set, a feat considering he had missed 14 in the entire tournament.
In the beginning, Zverev was more attentive, dominating more exchanges and winning 83% of his first serves, a torment for Alcaraz, who began to miss.
The Spaniard changed his game to make his opponent run and got ahead on the third set 5-2 with a service game in his favor. But he faltered and lost five games in a row, losing the third set.
His reaction was immediate. Alcaraz regained his strength and surprised Zvered, who lost four games.
The Spaniard then had to go to the physio, but it was only a temporary scare.
The match lagged on, destined to be the tenth Roland Garros final to go to five sets.
Time took a toll on Zverev’s performance as he reached the final after spending more than 19 and a half hours on the court, the longest it has taken a tennis player to reach a final since records began.
The crowd went into ecstasy, the emotion took over every shot, and on the court, anything seemed possible.
Alcaraz broke Zverev’s serve in the third game and held up four balls in the next game to get it back, one of which was protested by the German.
The match entered the realm of agony. The Spaniard struggled to defend his serve, but the German began to derail.
As he had done two days earlier against Sinner, Alcaraz began to free his arm, awakening the stands that shouted “Carlos, Carlos!” and carried him to victory during the last game. EFE
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