The five-set victory against Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros semi-final improved a truly sensational that belong to Carlos Alcaraz. The young Spaniard has qualified for the Paris final in which he will face Alexander Zverev thanks to the victory over Sinner. And Alcaraz, with this success over the Italian rival, has further improved a statistic that is starting to have impressive features.
Carlitos has won every match he has played in his career in the fifth set with only one exception. Matteo Berrettini beat him in the super tie break of the fifth set in the 2022 edition of the Australian Open. For the rest, Alcaraz confirmed himself as almost unbeatable in matches that ended in the fifth set, with 11 matches played, 10 victories and 1 defeat.
At Wimbledon 2021 he beat Uchiyama 6-3 6-7 6-2 3-6 6-3 in the first round. Two more victories in the fifth set in the 2021 edition of the US Open: in the third round against Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 4-6 7-6 0-6 7-6 and then in the round of 16 against Gojowczyk 5-7 6-1 5-7 6-2 6-0.
At Roland Garros 2022 a match won against Ramos in the second round 6-1 6-7 5-7 7-6 6-4. At Wimbledon 2022, first round success over Struff 4-6 7-5 4-6 7-6 6-4. In his triumphant US Open 2022 he won the fifth set three times: in the round of 16 with Cilic (6-4 3-6 6-4 4-6 6-3), in the quarterfinals with Sinner in that memorable match which ended 6 -3 6-7 6-7 7-5 6-3 for the Spaniard and, in the semi-final, against Tiafoe 6-7 6-3 6-1 6-7 6-3. Last year, obviously, how can we forget the 2023 Wimbledon final won against Djokovic 1-6 7-6 6-1 3-6 6-4, before this new success yesterday against Sinner.
“As a child I only came to Roland Garros once when I was 11 or 12 years old, I had to play in a tournament that was held under the Eiffel Tower. It was a very beautiful moment in which I was able to meet many players, I met Holger Rune and had an international tennis experience. When I came home after school, I immediately turned on the TV to watch the games. Roland Garros is a special tournament for me that I have followed since I was a child. Spanish tennis players have been very successful in Paris: Rafael Nadal and other players who are used to making their mark.
There is one small step missing, which is actually one of the most complicated: winning the final. There is a phrase that I often repeat to myself: Finals should not be played, but won. I imagine myself with the cup, but it’s still a long journey because I think the final will be very complicated. I never thought that the one with Sinner would be an early ending. Sunday will be very tough regardless of the opponent. Tactically I will have to play very well if I want to win. Today’s is a great victory, but we can’t talk about an early final,” explained Carlitos at the press conference after the victory against Sinner.