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Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer
Carlos Alcaraz takes the first set 6-3
Just like yesterday’s women’s singles final, there was more interpretive dance to tee up proceedings. Must be a nightmare for the ground staff who have just swept the court and produced an immaculate surface, only a group of dancers to scuff things up.
But there was a spectacular flyover, with eight Patroille de France jets painting the sky the colours of the French tricolore. Blue, white and red smoke hung over Court Philippe-Chatrier as the players came out.
With Bjorn Borg and International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach in the front row of the presidents’ box, it was Zverev who served first. But after back-to-back double faults, he changed his racquet – just two points into the entire match. It was not enough to save his serve, with Alcaraz breaking in the first game of the final.
Any early joy proved to be short-lived, with Zverev breaking back in the next game, Alcaraz’s serve also a little off. But after two holds, it was Alcaraz who took control, punishing Zverev’s errors to break serve and take a 3-2 lead. Alcaraz held comfortably in the next game and then drew two more break points. It looked like Zverev was caught between two minds – whether to attack Alcaraz, or to try and draw an error, but it was some scrambling defence which clawed the game back to deuce.
Zverev held, but he was struggling to get near Alcaraz on his serve. Alcaraz’s drop-shots were causing Zverev all sorts of trouble as Alcaraz moved himself to one game from taking the first set. And Alcaraz didn’t waste any time, varying his shots, bamboozling Zverev, to break serve in the next game and take the first set 6-3.
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev to face off in French Open men’s singles final
PARIS — There will be a new name on the Roland Garros men’s singles trophy on Sunday as Carlos Alcaraz takes on Alexander Zverev in the 2024 French Open final.
Alcaraz has already won the US Open and Wimbledon, so victory on Sunday would complete a trio of Slams on each surface. For Zverev, this is his second Grand Slam final, having lost the US Open final to Dominic Thiem in 2020.
For so long this trophy was in Rafael Nadal’s grip — the Spaniard winning the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy 14 times. Novak Djokovic has won it three times here, with Roger Federer taking it in 2009. But there’s a new generation coming through and for so long, Alcaraz has been the coming man on clay.
He reached the quarterfinal here in 2022 — losing to Zverev — and then the semifinal last year, where he fell to Djokovic. Last year his performance was hampered by severe cramping, but that’s something he’s learned to manage. He came into the French Open with concerns over his right arm, an injury that saw him miss some of the clay court swing. In the opening rounds, by his own admission, he couldn’t go 100% on his forehand, but as the rounds have tumbled, Alcaraz’s durability has improved.
He’s managed to see off the likes of Sebastian Korda, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas on his journey to the final four, where he met incumbent world No.1 Jannik Sinner. Both players cramped up in that semifinal, but after five sets, it was Alcaraz who came through.
“You have to find the joy in suffering, that’s the key,” he said after the win over Sinner.
For Zverev, his journey started with the hardest possible task: facing Nadal in the first round. He came through that in straight sets and then saw off David Goffin but needed five sets to dispatch Tallon Griekspoor and Holger Rune. But he was in ruthless form against Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals and then came through a tricky tie with Casper Ruud in the semifinal.
“Some of my worst and best memories are on [Philippe Chatrier] and I’m going to give it my all on Sunday,” Zverev said.
While Zverev has been playing at Roland Garros, a trial was being held in his home country of Germany, where he had been accused of domestic abuse by a former girlfriend. On Friday, it was announced that Zverev had agreed to an out-of-court settlement with the woman.
