Alcaraz defeats Zverev to win first French Open title

Tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, on Sunday, clinched his first French Open title by outlasting Alexander Zverev 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-1 6-2 in the final at Roland Garros.

Alcaraz, 21, a Rafael Nadal-sized void at Roland Garros with a marathon victory in four hours and 19 minutes.

Fourth seed Zverev had sent old warrior Nadal out on his shield for probably the last time in the first round.

However, Alcaraz vanquished the German to join fellow Spaniard Nadal as the only men to lift the Roland Garros trophy aged under 22.

The Spaniard said: “It was a great journey, these last two weeks. It’s a tournament I wanted to win since I was a little kid – when I watched this tournament since five or six – so this is a dream come true.

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“It was difficult, Zverev played great tennis. He put great pressure on me with his serves. I won the first set but I could have really lost it. It was tricky with the wind and the surface but we have to find a way and adapt our games to the conditions.”

Alcaraz became the youngest man to win a Grand Slam title on all three surfaces, adding the Paris clay to his hard-court US Open success and last year’s win on the Wimbledon grass.

He boasts a perfect record in major finals, while for Zverev it is two defeats from two following his loss to Dominic Thiem at the US Open four years ago.

Zverev said: “You’re already a Hall of Famer and you already achieved so much. You’ve already achieved so much at 21 years old – incredible player. It’s not the last time he’ll win this.

“It’s been amazing; I really love to play on this beautiful court. I’ll be back next year.”

The Star