Carlos Alcaraz made history on Friday as he reached his first Roland Garros final with a five-set win over Jannik Sinner.
The Spaniard took a while before he demonstrated his all-court excellence, fending off the challenge of incoming World No. 1 Sinner in a four-hour battle that required the full five sets.
Alcaraz recovered from a 2-6, 0-2 deficit to beat Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. It was his fifth win in nine meetings against the Italian, and he now has a positive head-to-head record against him.
But this was more than just heading the series. Alcaraz will contest his first Roland Garros final on Sunday against Alexander Zverev, who saw off an ailing Casper Ruud in the second semifinal.
Firstly, Alcaraz continues to follow the great track record of Spanish male players in excelling on the Parisian clay. He will look to join his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and childhood idol, Rafael Nadal, on the list of former champions.
Most importantly, at 21, he is the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam singles final on all three surfaces in tennis (hard, grass, and now clay). His first final at a major was at the 2022 US Open when he defeated Ruud to win the title.
Last year, Alcaraz ended Novak Djokovic’s reign as four-time defending champion by winning Wimbledon on the lawns. After succumbing to cramps in the Roland Garros semifinals to Djokovic in 2023, Alcaraz redeemed himself and went one round better this fortnight.
Some honorable mentions in this historic category include Bjorn Borg, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Rafael Nadal (who were all 22 when they reached the finals on all three surfaces in a Slam), and Mats Wilander (23).
It is imperative to note that the 1976 US Open, which Borg won, was played on clay (He was 20 at the time). However, this has not been factored into the calculation.