Alcaraz Reaches Roland Garros Final

Carlos Alcaraz will compete this Sunday to defend his Roland Garros title. The Spaniard, who could claim his fifth Grand Slam and second on Parisian clay, defeated an injured Lorenzo Musetti (4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0, and retirement) and will face either Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final.

Alcaraz, who felt the nerves for an hour and a half during these semi-finals, had to work hard to overcome one of the most in-form players of this clay court season. Musetti had reached the semi-finals in Madrid and Rome and the final in Monte Carlo, making him a genuine threat on this surface, as he demonstrated during the set and a half in which he troubled the Spaniard.

To be fair to Alcaraz, he should have capitalised on some of the opportunities he had in the first set, which came back to haunt him when, trailing 5-4, he lost his serve and with it the set. It was the first time he was trailing in this Roland Garros, but it seemed that the Italian wouldn't have the stamina for a gruelling five-set battle.

When the Spaniard managed to break his opponent's serve and go 2-0 up, it was a sign that the match had already turned and that Musetti would gradually fade while Alcaraz emerged. The Italian's game, reliant on spin and variety, requires a significant amount of muscle to allow him to dictate play and comfortably reach shots, such as his one-handed backhand, which are very challenging without the necessary support.

He gave his all to level the match, recovering two breaks in that second set, but succumbed in the tie-break, where Alcaraz played the crucial points well. Musetti's expression towards his box was one of defeat, as if he had previously discussed with them that the match needed to end quickly or there would be no chance.

And when he called the physio in the third set to tend to his left thigh, fears intensified. As Alcaraz extended his lead, Musetti's mobility suffered, as it had in the Monte Carlo final, and he stopped competing effectively. He tried to prolong the contest out of respect for the crowd, but with a 2-0 deficit in the fourth set and four games away from saying goodbye, he removed his headband, approached the net, and told Alcaraz he couldn't continue.

The Spaniard bid him farewell with applause, as did the Philippe Chatrier crowd, who understood the difficulty of having to retire on the brink of a Grand Slam final and wished him the swiftest recovery possible.

"It's not ideal to win a match this way. Lorenzo has had an incredible clay court season. He's one of the few to have reached at least the semi-finals in all the major tournaments on this surface. He's the fifth to achieve this in history. I wish him the best and hope he recovers as soon as possible," the Spaniard stated in his on-court interview with Lucas Pouille.

After his victory, Alcaraz was able to sit back and enjoy the second semi-final between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, which will take place this Saturday.