Spoiler:
Relive the pivotal moments of the Spaniard’s comeback victory
June 08, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz in action on Sunday during the championship match at Roland Garros.
Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz in action on Sunday during the championship match at Roland Garros.
By Andy West
When Carlos Alcaraz stepped up to the line to serve at 3-5, 0/40 in the fourth set of Sunday’s Roland Garros title match, a Jannik Sinner victory seemed a near certainty. Yet with the stakes at their highest, Alcaraz raised his game. It would not be the last time the Spaniard did that in what became the longest championship match in the history of the clay major.
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The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Sinner, leading Alcaraz by two sets to one and a break at 5-3, powered a typically ferocious forehand, which Alcaraz could not return, to start the ninth game of the fourth set. The pressure of the situation then appeared to get to Alcaraz, who helped Sinner to the brink of victory with a double fault and a forehand that went wide, digging a 0/40 deficit.
It was at that moment, with the relentless Sinner on the brink of his third consecutive major title, that the Alcaraz comeback began. With the next point into another baseline rally, it was Sinner who blinked first on his first championship point. The top seed struck a forehand on the run long.
Now at 15/40, Alcaraz fired his first serve long, but added enough kick to his second serve that a charging Sinner, who had moved in to take the ball early, was unable to prevent his backhand from flying long.
With one championship point left for Sinner at 30/40, the two great rivals entered another baseline exchange. This time, Sinner netted a forehand, and Alcaraz had resurrected his dwindling hopes of lifting the Coupe de Mousqetaires for the second consecutive year.
Alcaraz delivered an ace and a stunning forehand thunderbolt to complete his escape for 4-5, but there was still the small issue of the Spaniard needing to break Sinner, whose precise serving had powered his Roland Garros run, in order to stay alive longer. The defending champion did just that, breaking to 15 to level at 5-5 and send the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd into raptures.
Those proved to be the pivotal moments in one of the most gripping finals in recent memory. After falling behind an early mini-break at 0/2 in the fourth-set tie-break, Alcaraz produced a near-flawless display the rest of the way to level the match at two sets all.
If that fourth-set escape wasn't enough, Alcaraz again proved his ability to bring his best at crucial moments in the fifth set, during which Sinner had roused a comeback of his own by reclaiming a break for 5-5. In the first fifth-set tie-break in a Roland Garros final, Alcaraz sprinted to a 7/0 lead, highlighted by forehand winners on the second and fourth points, and a stunning down-the-line backhand on the seventh.
With the Spaniard striking the ball as well as at any point in the match, Sinner won two points on serve to halt Alcaraz's winning streak of nine consecutive points, but the 2/7 deficit was always likely to be too great against the redlining Spaniard. After winning two further points behind his delivery, Alcaraz capped a stunning 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) win and his fifth major title run with a scorching forehand pass on the run.
June 08, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz in action on Sunday during the championship match at Roland Garros.
Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz in action on Sunday during the championship match at Roland Garros.
By Andy West
When Carlos Alcaraz stepped up to the line to serve at 3-5, 0/40 in the fourth set of Sunday’s Roland Garros title match, a Jannik Sinner victory seemed a near certainty. Yet with the stakes at their highest, Alcaraz raised his game. It would not be the last time the Spaniard did that in what became the longest championship match in the history of the clay major.
You May Also Like: Alcaraz saves 3 championship points against Sinner, wins longest final in Roland Garros history
The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Sinner, leading Alcaraz by two sets to one and a break at 5-3, powered a typically ferocious forehand, which Alcaraz could not return, to start the ninth game of the fourth set. The pressure of the situation then appeared to get to Alcaraz, who helped Sinner to the brink of victory with a double fault and a forehand that went wide, digging a 0/40 deficit.
It was at that moment, with the relentless Sinner on the brink of his third consecutive major title, that the Alcaraz comeback began. With the next point into another baseline rally, it was Sinner who blinked first on his first championship point. The top seed struck a forehand on the run long.
Now at 15/40, Alcaraz fired his first serve long, but added enough kick to his second serve that a charging Sinner, who had moved in to take the ball early, was unable to prevent his backhand from flying long.
With one championship point left for Sinner at 30/40, the two great rivals entered another baseline exchange. This time, Sinner netted a forehand, and Alcaraz had resurrected his dwindling hopes of lifting the Coupe de Mousqetaires for the second consecutive year.
Alcaraz delivered an ace and a stunning forehand thunderbolt to complete his escape for 4-5, but there was still the small issue of the Spaniard needing to break Sinner, whose precise serving had powered his Roland Garros run, in order to stay alive longer. The defending champion did just that, breaking to 15 to level at 5-5 and send the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd into raptures.
Those proved to be the pivotal moments in one of the most gripping finals in recent memory. After falling behind an early mini-break at 0/2 in the fourth-set tie-break, Alcaraz produced a near-flawless display the rest of the way to level the match at two sets all.
If that fourth-set escape wasn't enough, Alcaraz again proved his ability to bring his best at crucial moments in the fifth set, during which Sinner had roused a comeback of his own by reclaiming a break for 5-5. In the first fifth-set tie-break in a Roland Garros final, Alcaraz sprinted to a 7/0 lead, highlighted by forehand winners on the second and fourth points, and a stunning down-the-line backhand on the seventh.
With the Spaniard striking the ball as well as at any point in the match, Sinner won two points on serve to halt Alcaraz's winning streak of nine consecutive points, but the 2/7 deficit was always likely to be too great against the redlining Spaniard. After winning two further points behind his delivery, Alcaraz capped a stunning 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) win and his fifth major title run with a scorching forehand pass on the run.
