Carlos Alcaraz overcomes nerves and cramping Jannik Sinner to reach maiden French Open final

Carlos Alcaraz booked his spot in the final of the French Open for the first time in his career, beating Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the 2024 edition on Friday. Alcaraz has now reached the final of a Major on all three surfaces, having previously won Wimbledon (2023) on grass and the US Open (2022) on hardcourts.

Sinner and Alcaraz both began nervously, with the Spaniard the more nervous of the two. Despite some strong forehands and delectable exchanges between the two, the quality of the match was a far shout from the classic the duo played at the 2022 US Open.

Alcaraz, the winner of that quarterfinal clash over a thrilling five-setter, lost the opening set this time around, conceding it 2-6 to the World No. 2 after a couple of breaks of serve.

The second set, on the other hand, saw Alcaraz slowly getting into rhythm, while Sinner dropped his intensity at the same time. As a result, the former World No. 1 raced away with the set, taking it 6-3 to level the scores.

In the third set, Sinner experienced his first signs of hand cramps, the same ailment that Alcaraz suffered in the second set. Just like his opponent, Sinner overcame the physical issues to take the set 6-3. While both appeared less nervy than when they had started, it was still an error-prone display on Court Philippe-Chartrier, despite the occasional moments of brilliance the duo managed to produce to entertain fans under the sun.

With both players growing into the match, the fourth set was the most evenly contested. Alcaraz and Sinner both held their serves until 4-4, but serving to stay in the match at 4*-5, Sinner lost his serve despite being 30*-0 love to hand the set 4-6 to the World No. 3.

Everything to play for in the decider, Carlos Alcaraz stepped on the gas, breaking Sinner's serve early to go 2-0 up. From there, despite Sinner threatening to break back multiple times, the Spaniard held strong and consolidated to take the set 6-3 in his third match point and reach the final after more than four hours of play.

Carlos Alcaraz to take on either Alexander Zverev or Casper Ruud in the final of French Open 2024

2024 French Open - Day 13

Following his win over Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz will take on either Alexander Zverev or Casper Ruud in the final of the 2024 French Open on Sunday. The duo are set to play in the second semifinal later on Friday.

Alcaraz trails 4-5 in the head-to-head against Zverev, but won their most recent match in Indian Wells earlier this year. However, the German beat him at the Australian Open before that encounter. Against Ruud, the Spaniard is undefeated and holds a 4-0 lead in the head-to-head.