Carlos Alcaraz wins epic French Open, outlasts Jannik Sinner in 5 sets for title
It was a classic final on the red clay of Roland Garros.
Though things looked bleak early, Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his French Open title, rallying to stun world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in an epic five-set marathon.
Alcaraz, 22, claimed his sixth career Grand Slam, coming back from a two-set deficit to win for the first time in his pro career, 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (10-2) in a match that lasted 5 hours and 29 minutes.
It was the longest men's singles final in French Open history, surpassing the 4 hours and 42 minutes it took Mats Vilander to beat Guillermo Vilas in 1982.
"Honestly, I don't know what I did. Honestly, I don't know what happened," Alcaraz said on the TNT broadcast. "I didn't think about anything else, just going point after point and putting my heart into it and getting all of my energy into it.
"I tried to not give up. We were in a final of a grand slam. There wasn't time to be afraid. There wasn't time to give up. I just tried to fight until the last ball."
The second-seeded Spaniard was in big trouble early as Sinner held him off in a second-set tiebreaker. But with the crowd at Court Phillippe-Chatrier behind him, Alcaraz summoned the inner strength to battle back – fighting off three match points in the fourth set with Sinner serving for the championship.
"It was the perfect place to come back from two sets down," Alcaraz said. "It was the best match I played in a Grand Slam and I'm really proud and happy this happened."
Alcaraz's improbable comeback ended Sinner's bid for a third consecutive Grand Slam title, after the Italian had previously won the 2025 Australian Open and 2024 U.S. Open.
Paste BN Sports provided all the updates from Sunday's men's final at Roland Garros. Scroll below for a full recap and higlights:
Live score: Men's French Open final
| 1-Jannik Sinner | 6 | 7 (4) | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| 2-Carlos Alcaraz | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 (3) | 7 (2) |
Alcaraz vs. Sinner: Greatest match in tennis history?
So, tennis fans, how’d you like another decade or so of that?
After Sunday’s French Open men's final – a 5-hour, 29-minute epic that somehow ended with Carlos Alcaraz holding up the trophy for a second consecutive year – we can now officially close the book on the so-called Big Three era.
There’s a new game in town. And it’s as spectacular to watch as anything tennis has ever seen.
But the best part of Sunday’s match is that it’s not the end of the story. In many ways, it’s just the beginning. — Dan Wolken
Click here to read Dan Wolken's full column
Alcaraz wins fifth-set tiebreaker to repeat as champion
There was just no way the final set in this record-setting marathon would be easy.
With a service break in the opening game of the decisive fifth set, Carlos Alcaraz was poised to complete his epic comeback from two sets down against Jannik Sinner.
Riding the momentum of his tiebreak win in the fourth, Alcaraz quickly took the upper hand with a service break that put him ahead for the first time since early in the opening set.
Yet with Alcaraz serving for the championship, Sinner dug deep for a crucial service break that tied it back up 5-5 as the match passed the five-hour mark to become the longest men's final in French Open history.
Alcaraz ended it quickly in the final set tiebreaker, winning 10-2.
Alcaraz amazingly pulls even after fourth-set tiebreaker
We'll be going to a fifth and deciding set in Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz fought off three championship points in the fourth set before pulling off a clutch service break as Jannik Sinner was serving for the match.
By holding serve at 6-5, the defending champion pulled even to extend the match. Despite losing the first two points of the tiebreaker, Alcaraz roared back with a pair of aces to win it 7-3.
Alcaraz has rallied from down two sets to win two of his own – setting up a winner-take-all Grand Slam showdown between the world's two best players on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
Alcaraz bounces back to win third set
In his pro career, Carlos Alcaraz has never come back from two sets down to win a match. He's at least one step closer to that historic first after taking the third set from Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz seemed to grab new life as he won an epic 22-shot point to close out a service break and take a 3-1 lead on Sinner, putting a finger to his ear to urge the crowd on.
But with the Spaniard serving for the set at 5-3, Sinner bounced back just in time with a break of his own.
And yet, somehow Alcaraz found a way to return the favor, breaking Sinner at love to win the set. That snaps Sinner's streak of 31 consecutive sets won in Grand Slam events.
Sinner takes second set in a tiebreaker
Jannik Sinner is one set away from his third consecutive Grand Slam title.
An unforced error by Alcaraz at 15-30 in the second game gave Sinner an early opening in the second set. After saving one break point, Alcaraz hit a forehand long to give Sinner a 2-0 edge.
Despite trailing 4-1, Alcaraz refused to give in. After holding serve to make it 4-2, he began pumping his arms in an effort to get the crowd fired up. He's clearly the fan favorite here at Court Phillippe-Chatrier.
Perhaps buoyed by the fan support, Alcaraz surged back with a clutch break in the ninth game to get back on serve – paving the way to a tiebreaker.
Alcaraz saved one set point on Sinner's serve, but couldn't hold his own in falling 7-4 in the tiebreaker.
Sinner breaks Alcaraz to win first set
The first game on the storied clay court was a 12-minute mini-marathon as Sinner finally held serve. That would be a portent of things to come in the opening set.
The two heavyweights traded a pair of service breaks midway through before Sinner stunningly ended the progression by breaking Alcaraz at 5-4 to take the first set.
Officially, it took one hour and two minutes to complete. We could be in for a classic.
Sinner, Alcaraz take the court
There has been a slight delay in the proceedings, but we're now ready to go in the 2025 French Open men's final.
Sinner will serve first.
What time is the French Open men's final?
The French Open men's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will start Sunday at 9 a.m. ET (3 p.m. in Paris).
What TV channel is showing the French Open men's final?
The French Open men's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will be broadcast live on TNT.
Is there a live stream of the French Open men's final?
The French Open men's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner can be streamed live on Max and Sling TV.
Stream the French Open men's final on Sling
Jannik Sinner's path to French Open men's final
Tournament's No. 1 seed
- 1st round: Defeated Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 6-3, 7-5
- 2nd round: Defeated Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-0, 6-4
- 3rd round: Defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-0, 6-1, 6-2
- 4th round: Defeated (17) Andrey Rublev 6-1, 6-3, 6-4
- Quarterfinals: Defeated Alexander Bublik 6-1, 7-5, 6-0
- Semifinals: Defeated (6) Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3)
Carlos Alcaraz's path to French Open men's final
Tournament's No. 2 seed
- 1st round: Defeated Giulio Zeppieri 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
- 2nd round: Defeated Fabian Marozsan 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
- 3rd round: Defeated Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
- 4th round: Defeated (13) Ben Shelton 7-6 (10-8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
- Quarterfinals: Defeated (12) Tommy Paul 6-0, 6-1, 6-4
- Semifinals: Defeated (8) Lorenzo Musetti 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-0, 2-0, Retired
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner head to head
Alcaraz has a 7-4 head-to-head advantage over Sinner going into Sunday's final. Alcaraz also has a 2-1 edge over Sinner on clay, most recently on May 18 in the Italian Opne final, where Alcaraz defeated Sinner 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 in Rome. The two previously met at the 2024 French Open in the semifinal round. Alcaraz downed Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a five-set thriller en route to winning his first French Open and third career Grand Slam singles title. Alcaraz has won the last four matches against Sinner. Sinner last defeated Alacarz in October 2023 at the China Open in Beijing 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 on a hard court.
2025 French Open champion payout, prize money
Both the men's and women's singles champions will earn nearly $2.9 million for winning the French Open and hoisting the Coupe des Mousquetaires. The runner-up will pocket $1.45 million.
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