French Open semifinal: Destroyer beats veteran

When the question of his opponent in the French Open final came down to a decision, Carlos Alcaraz put his feet up. He had already prevailed late in the afternoon against the Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who had to withdraw from the semifinal early at 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, and 2-0 due to a muscle injury. Alcaraz then completed his usual program, including interviews, and settled in – late but still in time – in front of the screen. The evening program, according to Alcaraz: "One of the best tennis matches there is: the one who destroys everyone against the one who has won 24 Grand Slam titles."

The winner was the destroyer, Jannik Sinner from Italy, who defeated the record winner, Novak Djokovic , 6:4, 7:5, 7:6 (3) after 3:16 hours.

For Djokovic, 38, this means he will have to continue chasing his lifelong dream of another triumph, which would crown him the sole record holder. The Coupe des Mousquetaires, which he last held in 2023, will be won this year by an imitator from Italy or Spain. He left open whether this was Djokovic's farewell match in Paris . "It may be that this was my last match here at Roland Garros. The atmosphere was incredible, and I wanted to thank everyone for that," said the Serb. "Do I want to continue playing? Yes. But will I be able to do that in 12 months? I don't know."

Alexander Zverev is struggling with the weather after his quarterfinal exit against Novak Djokovic. After a strong start, he simply lacked an answer to the Serb's more tactically flexible game.

Djokovic defeated world number three Alexander Zverev, ten years his junior, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. This gave him a chance to reach the final with less resistance than expected (4:6, 6:3, 6:2, 6:4). On Friday, however, Jannik Sinner dominated the match for much of the match in front of 15,000 spectators at Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The 24-year-old world number one from Italy, who still hasn't dropped a set in the tournament, opened the match with expected confidence. In the second set, both players treated the spectators to spectacular rallies, and Djokovic earned a break point. It speaks volumes about Sinner's dominance that in his last three duels with Djokovic (at tournaments in Shanghai, Melbourne, and Paris), this was actually the Serb's first (!) break point. Shortly afterward, Djokovic equalized at 5:5, but lost the set. He received treatment for his back and thigh and even had three set points in the third set. But Sinner coolly fended off all attacks until the tiebreak with precise angled shots.

Following his three-month doping ban following his win at the Australian Open, Sinner has now reached the next Grand Slam final, against a player he praised on court as a "role model for everyone else." In Paris, he can now increase his collection of three Grand Slam trophies (Melbourne 2024, 2025; New York 2024) to four, equaling Alcaraz's total.

Alcaraz, who just turned 22, has already won Grand Slam titles on all court surfaces: on the grass of Wimbledon (2023, 2024), on the red clay of Paris (2024), and on the hard courts of New York (2022). But he struggled considerably in his semifinal against Musetti. His opponent, ranked number seven, continued to play his one-handed backhand as effortlessly as in the previous rounds. However, the 23-year-old Italian was fortunate to have avoided disqualification in his previous match against American Frances Tiafoe when, in anger, he kicked a ball out of bounds and hit the line judge.

On Friday, Musetti surprisingly secured the first set thanks to his excellent play – but also thanks to Alcaraz, who struggled with his first serve and didn't even land 50 percent of his shots. That has to improve on Sunday, he said. But he doesn't get nervous in such situations: "A Grand Slam lasts a maximum of five sets: I have time."

The Spaniard's second set continued to be sluggish, with Musetti twice coming back from behind. It wasn't until the tiebreak that Alcaraz turned things around. In the third set, which he won 6-0 in a quick 21-minute set, he regained his fluidity, but Musetti retired in the fourth due to thigh problems. "Of course, I don't want to win like that," Alcaraz said on court, wishing his colleague a speedy recovery, praising him for an excellent clay-court season. Musetti has won 18 matches in Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome, and Paris, and lost only four.

Carlos Alcaraz still has the big final to play against Jannik Sinner on Sunday. Or as he might announce it: the man who destroys everything, against the defending champion.