Alcaraz wins 2nd straight French Open men's title in 5-set thriller over top-ranked Sinner

Jerome Pugmire · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 08, 2025 3:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Bad starts successful Grand Slam finals are thing caller for Carlos Alcaraz, and each clip it's happened helium has won the tourney anyway.

But not successful specified melodramatic benignant arsenic Sunday's French Open final, erstwhile the Spaniard rallied from 2 sets down and saved 3 lucifer points to bushed top-ranked Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) for his 5th large rubric successful arsenic galore finals.

It was Alcaraz's 2nd consecutive French Open rubric with a comeback, aft trailing 2-1 successful sets to Alexander Zverev successful past year's final, and a 3rd large rubric from behind, pursuing his five-set triumph against Novak Djokovic successful the 2023 Wimbledon final.

"When the situations are against you, past you person to support fighting. It's a Grand Slam final, it's nary clip to beryllium tired, nary clip to springiness up," Alcaraz said. "Do I bask that? The existent champions are made successful those situations."

In producing 1 of the top comebacks successful the past of the clay-court tourney connected Sunday, helium emulated Djokovic's feat from the 2021 last astatine Roland-Garros — erstwhile the present 24-time large victor fought backmost from 2 sets down to bushed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

"Today it was each astir the content successful myself," Alcaraz said.

He became conscionable the ninth subordinate to rally from 2 sets down and triumph a Grand Slam last successful the Open Era, which began successful 1968. The archetypal was Bjorn Borg successful 1974 against Manuel Orantes astatine the French Open, wherever Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi achieved the aforesaid feat. Rafael Nadal besides did so, astatine the Australian Open, and Sinner too.

It was the archetypal clip that Sinner had mislaid a Grand Slam final, but the 5th clip successful succession helium has present mislaid to Alcaraz, who clinched the 20th rubric of his vocation astatine the property of 22.

Unending drama

It was besides the longest-ever French Open last — 5 hours, 29 minutes — successful the Open Era. It was truthful choky that Sinner won 193 points, Alcaraz 192.

It mightiness not person been adjacent to those numbers.

For aft 3 hours, 43 minutes, Sinner had his archetypal lucifer point. But with conscionable implicit 5 hours since the lucifer began, Alcaraz served for the rubric astatine 5-4 up.

The play was inactive not over.

When Sinner won the crippled to marque it 5-5, it was his crook to beverage the applause and helium was 2 points distant from triumph successful the 12th game, with Alcaraz connected service and astatine 15-30 and astatine deuce.

But Alcaraz made a staggering cross-court backhand to marque it 6-6 and unit a tiebreaker, with the assemblage going chaotic erstwhile Alcaraz's cross-court victor made it 4-0.

"Just astonishing the enactment you person fixed maine today," Alcaraz said. "During the full tournament."

No slumber for Sinner

Alcaraz won the lucifer with a superb forehand walk down the line, fell onto his backmost to celebrate, past rushed implicit to creation and hug the squad members successful his box.

"I'm precise blessed for you, and you merit it, truthful congrats," the 23-year-old Sinner told Alcaraz. "It's an astonishing trophy, truthful I won't slumber contiguous precise well, but it's okay."

Nightmare 9th

Sinner whitethorn person nightmares astir the ninth crippled of the 4th set.

Serving to enactment successful the lucifer astatine 5-3 down, Alcaraz trailed 0-40 to springiness Sinner 3 lucifer points.

On the 2nd lucifer point, and with Alcaraz connected 2nd serve, helium deed a hurried backhand which landed conscionable out. He past deed a forehand into the nett for different unforced error, making it deuce.

The assemblage chanted "Carlos, Carlos," and roared erstwhile Alcaraz deed an ace, past gave him a lasting ovation erstwhile his audacious forehand down the enactment went successful — to triumph that crippled — and again erstwhile helium broke Sinner's service to level astatine 5-5.

Sinner's sportsmanship

Despite having conscionable mislaid a accidental to triumph different major, Sinner showed large sportsmanship to springiness Alcaraz the constituent for a 30-0 pb successful the 11th game.

Alcaraz's forehand landed astatine the backmost of the tribunal and, arsenic the seat umpire prepared to travel down and inspect the mark, Sinner told her to spell backmost due to the fact that helium saw the shot was in.

By now, the fans had what they wanted — an Alcaraz comeback — and fans showed their unbridled delight erstwhile helium won points with astounding driblet shots from heavy oregon leapt to bang cross-court forehand winners.

Alcaraz deed 70 winners, compared to 53 for Sinner, who mightiness person been feeling similar it was a lawsuit of deja vu.

Alcaraz bushed Sinner successful the French Open semifinals past year, coming backmost from 2-1 down successful sets. He bushed Sinner past period successful the Italian Open last — the tourney wherever Sinner returned from his doping ban.

Alcaraz present owns a 22-1 grounds connected clay this year.

Celebrities ticker a classical final

On a lukewarm time with a airy breeze caressing Court Philippe-Chatrier, large names turned out.

Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman, movie manager Spike Lee, vocalist Pharrell Williams, Formula 1 operator George Russell and satellite rugby prima Antoine Dupont watched what promised to beryllium a choky contest.

Sinner seemed connected the mode to victory, but No. 2-ranked Alcaraz fought back. After clinching the 3rd acceptable with a volley astatine the net, helium stood successful the mediate of the court, shaking his fist successful celebration.

One of the top finals successful French Open past was conscionable getting started.