Alcaraz vs. Zverev: Who will win the men's French Open final? - ESPN

PARIS — Carlos Alcaraz will be looking to establish himself as the new king of clay when he takes on Alexander Zverev in the men's French Open final on Sunday.

Alcaraz, 21, has long been touted as the natural successor to Rafael Nadal, but his two Grand Slam titles have come at Wimbledon and the US Open. In reaching the final at Roland Garros, he became the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam final on all three surfaces.

Zverev, 27, reached four straight French Open semifinals, but this is his first final. It is his second Grand Slam final overall.

Here's how each player could prevail in the French Open title match.

Alcaraz came into Roland Garros hampered by a forearm injury. He was forced to withdraw from the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open, then lost in Madrid to Andrey Rublev and withdrew from Rome. So it was hardly a straightforward buildup to the French Open, and early in the tournament he was talking about not being able to hit his forehand with 100% power.

But we've seen Alcaraz build each round, and despite any lingering concern with his usually lethal forehand, he's managed to stave off all competition. After overcoming J.J. Wolf in the opening round, he had to navigate tricky qualifier Jesper de Jong before seeing off Sebastian Korda in straight sets. He came through a potentially tough match with Felix Auger-Aliassime with ease and then got past Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the quarters.

«The kid is just too good,» Tsitsipas said afterward.

The semifinal with Sinner was hardest match. Alcaraz looked sluggish in the opening set, but in a test of endurance and precision, he eventually got past Sinner on Friday in 4 hours, 10 minutes — winning 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Alcaraz's game is perfectly