Carlos Alcaraz wins 1st Roland Garros title after thriller vs Zverev

New Delhi,UPDATED: Jun 9, 2024 23:29 IST

Carlos Alcaraz won his maiden French Open title after beating Alexander Zverev in a thrilling 5-setter on Sunday, June 9 at Philippe-Chatrier. The 21-year-old took 4 hours and 19 minutes to beat his German opponent 6-2, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. He became the seventh Spaniard after Rafael Nadal, Sergi Bruguera, Albert Costa, Carlos Moya, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Andreas Gimeno to win the Roland Garros title.

French Open 2024 Final Highlights

Alcaraz became the 1st man to win a Grand Slam after winning the semi-final and the final in 5 sets since Roger Federer at the 2017 Australian Open. Moreover, he became the youngest to win a Grand Slam on all 3 surfaces. Back in 2022, he won the US Open 2023 on hard court, followed by the Wimbledon 2023 triumph on grass.

Alcaraz wins roller-coaster on Centre Court

Alcaraz seized the initiative right from the word go with an early break of serve. A second break of serve helped him close the set out. In the second set, Zverev made a strong comeback. This time around, it was Zverev’s turn to break Alcaraz’s service twice and win the set. The German was stupendous with his first serves, winning 80 percent of points (16 out of 20).

Zverev upped his game in the third set and went 5-2 up with a double break. In the fourth set, Alcaraz showed nerves of steel to make sure that he took the match into the deciding fifth set. He earned a double break to take a 4-2 lead, but Zverev earned a break back to keep Alcaraz on his toes.

Thereafter, Zverev had 2 chances to break, but could not convert any to eventually concede the game. Alcaraz earned his third break of the set to close out the match.

The fifth and final set turned out to be a thriller. Alcaraz got the early break to get to the driver’s seat. From there on, Zverev tried his heart out, but his opponent closed out the match comfortably.