Carlos Alcaraz secured his place in the 2025 French Open final following a dramatic semifinal against Lorenzo Musetti, who was forced to retire due to injury.
The match, played on Friday, saw Alcaraz trailing in the first set, before he scripted a comeback in the second. The second set was extremely competitive, with neither of them giving much breathing space to the other. The match moved to the tie-breaker, where Alcaraz took the set to win the round.
The third set was a bagel for the Spaniard, winning 6-0 and was leading 2-0 in the fourth when Musetti complained of an injury, likely due to a left thigh muscle strain. He received medical attention during the third set as well but the world No. 8 decided to continue before withdrawing in the fourth set. Notably, he started strong in Philippe-Chatrier but his physical decline forced him out of a potential final.
After the win against Musetti, Alcaraz extended his sympathies, stating that he never prefers to win in such a manner. “It’s never fair. I want to win but not like this,” said Alcaraz.
Alcaraz’s victory sets up a potential championship clash against either Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic, who are scheduled to play in the second semifinal later in the day. Meanwhile, the world No. 2, Alcaraz, is the reigning Roland Garros champion and will carry that confidence to the final, slated to take place on Sunday, June 8.
Meanwhile, the four-time Grand Slam winner mentioned that he will be keeping an eye on the Djokovic vs Sinner match and expects it to be great and will be noting tactics from the match.
“I’m not going to miss it. This match is one of the best match-ups we have in tennis right now. It is going to be great tennis. I’m going to enjoy it. I’m going to take tactics from the match,” said the 22-year-old.