Alcaraz's rematch with Musetti before a colossal final: Djokovic or Sinner in the final

From earth to heaven. The memory is still vivid inCarlos Alcaraz 's mind, collapsed on the clay court with his hands covering his face and, moments later, proudly gazing at the glittering Trophy des Mousketeers in the Parisian sky. A year has passed. Two matches remain to relive it: this Friday's semi-final (2:30 p.m.) against Lorenzo Musetti and Sunday's final against the winner of the spectacular Novak Djokovic - Jannik Sinner match .

They know each other well, having faced each other six times, and, unfortunately for the Italian's exquisite one-handed backhand, the precedents don't hold their own. He only managed to beat Carlos once, the first time they fought for a title on the clay of Hamburg in 2022. Since then, Musetti has only accumulated defeats against the Spaniard: Roland Garros 2023, Beijing 2023, Miami 2024... and the two recent ones in the Monte Carlo final and the semifinals of the Rome tournament.

The Carrara native has demonstrated a remarkable level in recent weeks, a style of tennis that has finally transcended its beauty, worthy of being immortalized in the marble of his homeland, and he is winning matches at the highest level. However, he still remains "grounded" in the small chair and cannot reach the top table. Thus, the third match against Alcaraz becomes his opportunity to claim a piece of the pie.

It won't be easy, of course, against the reigning champion, a player capable of overwhelming Tommy Paul in just an hour and a half to reach his third consecutive semifinal. It's not enough; he has a ravenous hunger to capture his fifth Grand Slam title and become the first man to retain his title in the City of Lights after his idol, Rafa Nadal.

Inspired by the plaque commemorating the 14-time winner and supported by 20 wins in 21 matches on clay this season (95%), Carlitos is more than ready to take on the event next Sunday.

If Juan Carlos Ferrero's pupil lives up to expectations in the first afternoon session, there's sure to be a television set during his recovery session to watch the eagerly awaited duel between his two great rivals.

Novak Djokovic, at 38 years old and after a title-poor first half of the season, has been meticulously preparing for the clay-court trophy. In Geneva, he claimed his first trophy of the year (his 100th singles title) and enters the penultimate match of the tournament having crushed another of the big favorites, Zverev.

This was proof enough that the Serbian has more than enough tennis to beat the unbeatable player, an unleashed Sinner after his rapid acclimatization following his three-month suspension. The Italian has had a smooth sailing up until now, when, beyond a place in the final, the tiebreaker will be played against Nole. They have played eight matches, won four each, and the last three have fallen to the current world number one. It's a battle of honor between the powerful tennis of the new generation and the great legend of the outdated Big Three era.

Djokovic needs one more Grand Slam to become the most successful of all time—now tied with Margaret Court on 24—and Sinner is obsessed with making it past the semifinals of a tournament that eludes him. It's all or nothing, and with an eye on Carlos Alcaraz, that's how two tennis players will play with the same desire as the Murcian: to ascend from the earth to the heavens of Paris.

Sabalenka vs. Gauff in the grand final

The world number one and player of the moment, Aryna Sabalenka , defeated four-time champion Iga Swiatek on Thursday to become the first player of the day to book a place in the final (7-6/4-6/6-0). On the other side of the draw and in the second round on the Philippe Chatrier court, it was Coco Gauff who quickly put an end to Lois Boisson 's and all of France's dreams (6-1/6-2, in just over an hour) to make it to tomorrow (6:00 p.m.) in the big match for the second Grand Slam of the year.