French Open Final: Sinner Loses To Alcaraz After Being On Match Point — History Of Such Nail Biters

Carlos Alcaraz pulled off one of the most dramatic comebacks in Grand Slam history on Sunday, June 8. He saved three championship points to defeat world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a five-hour, 29-minute thriller at Court Philippe-Chatrier and retain his French Open title.

The 21-year-old Spaniard rallied from two sets down to clinch a 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) victory in a match that will go down as one of Roland-Garros’s greatest finals.

The comeback has been hailed as one of the greatest in Grand Slam history. It also sparked renewed interest in a question — how many times has a player held match point in a Grand Slam final, only to lose?

Losing a Grand Slam final after holding match point is among the rarest fates in tennis. While it has happened only a few times, the drama and devastation of such moments have etched them into the sport’s collective memory.

One of the most unforgettable examples came in the 2004 Roland-Garros final—an all-Argentine showdown where unseeded Gastón Gaudio stunned heavy favourite Guillermo Coria.

After dominating the first two sets and holding two championship points in the fifth, Coria looked poised for victory. But Gaudio staged a sensational turnaround, battling back to claim a 0–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1, 8–6 win and etch his name into Grand Slam folklore.

Fast forward to Wimbledon 2019, where Roger Federer, then second seed, stood on the cusp of history. The Swiss maestro held two championship points on his serve at 8-7 in the fifth set against World No. 1. Novak Djokovic. But Djokovic saved both and edged out Federer in a tiebreak to win the title.

In the 1948 Wimbledon final, American Robert Falkenburg pulled off a remarkable comeback against Australia’s John Bromwich, saving three match points before clinching a five-set victory — 7-5, 0-6, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.

While match point turnarounds in Grand Slam finals are exceptionally rare in women’s tennis, there have been a couple of unforgettable instances.

In the 2002 Australian Open final, Jennifer Capriati saved four match points against Martina Hingis. Trailing 6–4, 0–4, Capriati staged a dramatic comeback to win 4–6, 7–6 (9–7), 6–2.

Another thrilling example came at Wimbledon in 2005. Lindsay Davenport was on the brink of victory, serving for the match at 6–4, 6–5 against Venus Williams. But Williams saved a championship point and stormed back to win 4–6, 7–6 (7–4), 9–7 in one of the most gripping finals.