2024-07-05 01:57:54
Paris: Carlos Alcaraz won his third Grand Slam title by defeating Alexander Zverev in a tough five-set match in the French Open men’s singles final. Spain’s third seed Alcaraz won the title by defeating fourth seed Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in a match that lasted four hours and 19 minutes. This is Alcaraz’s fifth win in 10 matches against Zverev.
Alcaraz, 21, grew up watching his compatriot Rafael Nadal win 14 trophies at Roland Garros and now he has surpassed Nadal to become the youngest player to win major championships on three surfaces. Nadal was about a year and a half older than Alcaraz when he achieved the feat. This is the first French Open final since 2004 in which none of Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer were playing.
Zverev defeated Nadal
Two weeks ago, Nadal lost to Zverev in the first round while three-time champion Djokovic withdrew before the quarterfinal match due to a knee injury. Federer has retired. During the title match, Alcaraz was trailing 1-2 after three sets but in the last two sets, he won 12 out of 15 games to win his third Grand Slam title.
Earlier, Alcaraz has won the US Open on heart court in 2022 and the Wimbledon title on grass court in 2023. Alcaraz has won all three of his matches in Grand Slam finals so far. However, he and Zverev were playing in the French Open final for the first time.
Zverev lost in the final for the second time
This is Zverev’s second defeat in two Grand Slam title matches. The 27-year-old German player lost the US Open final in 2020 after losing a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem. Zverev reached the French Open final for the first time. He had earlier been eliminated in the semi-finals for three consecutive years.