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It was tie-breaks, momentum switch-ups and thrills galore at Court Philippe-Chatrier as Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his French Open title on Sunday in an incredible comeback effort after being two sets down, beating world number one Jannik Sinner in the longest final in the tournament's history.
Nobody could be kept away from action and their top form for too long as a scoreline of 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) separated these two world-class athletes in the first-ever Grand Slam final between players born in 2000s, as per ATP's official website. Having never battled in a major tournament final, the clash lived upto hype in every sense. In the fifth and deciding set, defeat looked certain for Alcaraz, down at 3-5. But he regrouped himself, taking the scoreline to 5-4 and then to a fifth-set tie-break. This was the first-ever French Open final decided by a fifth-set tie-break and Alcaraz managed to win it in, joining the elite company of successful French Open title defenders of this century, Gustavo Kuerten and Rafael Nadal. Immense grit, energy, insane ball-striking marked this match-up as none of these two superstar players wanted to leave the court without the championship trophy in their hands. With the deafening roar of Court Philippe-Chatrier echoing into the Paris night, the 22-year-old showed his resolve once more in the final set. After failing to serve out the match at 5-4, Alcaraz regrouped for one final push. In the first Roland Garros final ever decided by a fifth-set tie-break, the Spaniard delivered under pressure, becoming just the third man this century to successfully defend the Roland Garros crown, joining Gustavo Kuerten and Rafael Nadal. After the winner, Alcaraz collapsed to the ground out of tiredness and astonishment, before hugging Sinner. The 22-year-old also holds a brilliant 13-1 fifth-set record. On the other hand, Sinner has a poorer record of 6-10 in fifth sets and has never won a match going beyond three hours and 50 minutes (zero wins and seven losses). This is Alcaraz's tour-leading 37th win in the season and improves his head-to-head record against Alcaraz to 8-4, having won previous five matches. This is his fifth Grand Slam title and he is the third-youngest to reach the five-major mark, behind , Bjorn Borg (21) and Rafael Nadal (22). Alcaraz was high on form with title wins in Monte Carlo and Rome as he headed to Paris. This victory is also his 20th tour-level title, making him the first 2000s born player to achieve the milestone. Sinner, who wanted his second title of the season and 20th overall, has had his own moments this year, with win at Australian Open. He aimed to become the fifth man in Open Era to win three successive major titles. This is his first-ever major final loss, which sinks his once flawless record to 3-1. Despite his loss, Sinner can walk out of the court with is ATP number one ranking intact with lead of 2,030 points. (ANI)
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