French Open 2025: Alcaraz Saves Three Championship Points To Win Epic Final Against Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz has now become the third player in the Open Era to have saved at least a single championship point en route to the Grand Slam trophy.
Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday clinched his second straight French Open title in a dramatic fashion, saving three championship points to take down Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2). The historic game between the two of them turned into the longest Roland Garros final, going on for five hours and 29 minutes. Also, it is the second-longest men's Grand Slam final ever.
In the thrilling encounter, the 22-year-old Spanish player was trailing by 5-3, 0-40 on serve in the fourth set. But he overturned the game against the World No. 1 in his favour, capturing his fifth major title, according to the ATP Tour.
Alcaraz is now the third player in the Open Era to have saved at least a single championship point en route to the Grand Slam trophy. This was the first major final against Sinner. The two stars first competed against each other at the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris in 2021.
He now joins Gaston Gaudio and Novak Djokovic in saving championship points in the Grand Slam final. Gaudio achieved this feat in his 2004 Roland Garros game against Guillermo Coria, while Djokovic became the second player to do so during the 2019 Wimbledon match against Roger Federer.
In a major final, Alcaraz has emerged as the ninth player in the history of the game to rally from two sets down to win the match.
According to ESPN, this is the first time in nine attempts that Alcaraz has managed to win the game after being two sets down. He has now extended his head-to-head advantage against Sinner to 8-4.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner: Key Highlights
For many, Alcaraz looked highly unlikely to make a comeback when Sinner bagged the maiden two sets and broke early in the third one. He was chasing his first French Open title and fourth Grand Slam title overall.
The game turned intense late in the fourth set as well as in the closing stages of the fifth one. As he faced a defeat at 5-3, 0-40 in the fourth set, Alcaraz made a strong comeback to save three championship points on serve. He later put Sinner down in the next game and completely shifted the momentum towards his side.
After being through a five-hour slugfest, Alcaraz certainly saved the best for the final tie-breaker. He hit four winners, including one on championship point.
Post his victory, Alcaraz thanked his team and family for everything. "I have the privilege to be able to live great things with you. I was lucky to have a lot of people who came from Murcia, from home, to support me," he added.
