Carlos Alcaraz outlasts Alexander Zverev for first French Open title

A Spaniard is once again the king of Roland Garros.

Third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz continued his country's dominance of the French Open, defeating No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev of Germany in five sets Sunday for his third Grand Slam title.

In a match that featured several changes in momentum, Alcaraz ultimately gained the upper hand when he broke Zverev's serve in the third game of the final set and then saved four break points in the next game to go up 3-1. After another break, Alcaraz served out the match for a 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory.

OPINION: Win in Paris shows Carlos Alcaraz really is a "mega talent"

Though it was his first triumph on the storied clay courts in Paris, Alcaraz carried on the tradition of countryman Rafael Nadal, who won a record 14 French Open championships from 2005-2022, but likely played in the event for the last time this year.

Zverev, who defeated an unseeded Nadal in the opening round, rallied from a loss in the opening set in three of his six matches on the way to his first Grand Slam final.

He dropped the first set again on Sunday, as Alcaraz broke his serve three times. However, Zverev rallied to win the next two sets, erasing a 5-2 deficit in the third, before Alcaraz found his second wind.

Dealing with an arm injury in the weeks before the tournament and coming off another five-set victory over new world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in his semifinal match, Alcaraz fought off apparent bouts of cramping and needed a medical timeout in the fourth set before prevailing in a match that lasted four hours, 19 minutes.

"It has been incredible work," said Alcaraz to his team during the trophy presentation ceremony. "The last month we were struggling a lot with the injury. Looking back to Madrid, I didn't feel well. The next week there were a lot of doubts and then coming here and practicing not too much. I am really grateful to have the team that I have and the people I have around."

The 21-year-old Spaniard adds to his Grand Slam trophy case after winning Wimbledon in 2023 and the US Open in 2022.

Contributing: Field Level Media