Carlos Alcaraz battled back from the brink of his first loss in a Grand Slam final to outlast Jannik Sinner in a French Open title clash for the ages on Sunday, keep his crown and cement his status as the Prince of Clay in the post-Rafael Nadal era at Roland Garros.
In a scintillating showdown between the torchbearers of a new generation, the 22-year-old saved three match points in the fourth set to win 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (10-2) and continue his dominance over Sinner with his fifth straight victory and end the Italian's 20-match winning run in the Grand Slams.
Alcaraz showed his steely determination to win the epic in 5 hours, 29 minutes — the longest final at Roland Garros — and soaked up the roaring ovation from a thoroughly entertained Parisian crowd that was used to seeing Nadal, a 14-time champion, triumph at the event.
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