Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Jannik Sinner To Enter French Open Final

Carlos Alcaraz beat incoming world number one Jannik Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Friday to reach the French Open final and continue his bid for a third Grand Slam title. Alcaraz, 21, will play fourth seed Alexander Zverev or two-time Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud on Sunday after becoming the youngest man to reach Grand Slam finals on all three surfaces.

"It's one of the toughest matches I've played for sure," said Alcaraz. "The toughest I've played in my short career have been against Jannik. I hope to play many, many more like this."

"You have to find the joy in suffering," the Spaniard added.

Alcaraz has won both of his two previous major finals -- at Wimbledon last year and the 2022 US Open. Victory on Sunday would see him head to the Australian Open next January seeking a career Grand Slam.

Both Alcaraz and Sinner arrived in Paris under an injury cloud, gradually finding their best level over the course of the tournament to set up a meeting billed as the match "everybody wants to see".

The ninth chapter of an enthralling rivalry destined to shape the future of the sport was the youngest Grand Slam semi-final pairing since Andy Murray beat Rafael Nadal at the 2008 US Open.

It was their first Grand Slam meeting since a spectacular five-set quarter-final two years ago in New York, and while perhaps not as exhilarating this one was no less gripping.

Alcaraz, who was hampered badly by cramp in last year's semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic, had said that playing Sinner was like running a marathon, and it was the Spaniard doing much of the chasing early.

Sinner pinned Alcaraz on the back foot straight away as he broke in the very first game, blending impenetrable defence with searing groundstrokes as he went on